CORE Data (Undertale Humantale)
by TaiylorWallace
Summary: 213X, twelve years after the adventures of Frisk. The CORE has been acting up recently, marking an unnatural anomaly occurring deep below the surface of the earth. (This Fanfic contains the Prequel series [marked Pre], and a Main series [marked Pt].) This is a fan-made alternate universe inspired by Undertale. All original content from Undertale belongs to Toby Fox.
1. Supplemental Log 0112213X Pre1

**C:/AUDIO/HEADSTAFF/GASTERWilliamD/AUDIOlogs/213X/Supplemental/**

 _1 January-March_

 _2 April-June_

 _3 July-September_

 _4 October-December_

 _ **Open 1**_

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 **C:/AUDIO/HEADSTAFF/GASTERWilliamD/AUDIOlogs/213X/Supplemental/1 January-March**

 _1.1 Core Central Readings_

 _1.2 Core Central Readings Contd_

 _9.1 Temperature Data_

 _9.2 Pressure Data_

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 _12.1 PSI and Temp since 211X_

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Supplemental Log, Notes for January 12th, 213X… Dr. W.D. Gaster, lead CORE scientist…

A rise in the CORE's average pressure and temperature readings over the past year have been troubling me for some time. At first, I dismissed it as a normal fluctuation. Then in June, I realized these 'fluctuations' weren't actually fluctuating. The gas buildup and temperature were rising. Not much- merely a half degree every other day and one PSI every two months. Once they rose, they did not fall. They still haven't. I could dismiss this still as a natural rise of the mantle's heat production, but that would be foolish of me to let it go so easily. Besides, I calculated that possibility, including weather effects and long-term global heating and cooling patterns. The total temperature is several degrees above most of my 'worst scenario' natural fluctuation calculations. It's gotten high enough that the normal Stage One pressure and heat release systems can't keep up, so I've had to open Stage Two. While no great emergency, the problem usually subsides within a few days of opening Stage Two. However, it's been open for four weeks now…

The CORE is the largest, most efficient geothermal power plant in the entire world. At average efficiency, it can generate enough electricity to power the entire western hemisphere every day without fail and keep a backup reserve, the only exceptions being minor sector shutdowns for regular maintenance which might take… perhaps one small city off the grid for an hour at most if work is completed in a timely manner. But the reserves prevent such inconsistencies of power delivery, of course. I made sure of that almost the moment I began designing it.

The CORE, despite its size and sheer reach across the world, must still bow to the forces of Mother Nature. So must we all… Nevertheless, whatever's happening below the surface is not a normal phenomenon. Some of the other scientists are discussing that old fear of earthquakes and 'the big one' coming, but it's not tectonics that are causing these slight rises. I have checked the seismometers in the CORE and at every accessible point that monitors this half of the earth, and earthquakes have been regular and so small that no one can feel them. This means the plates are not building up pressure, so it's not a pressure buildup… I don't know what it is, but it's coming from all of the major geothermal pipes at once.

 _*Several seconds of silence pass by. Gaster seems to be considering something._

There is no reason to be afraid, of course. Any buildups in the CORE itself will be vented. If things grow even slightly unpredictable, I will open up Stage Three, which means half the Core shuts down and every possible exit for heat and pressure will open, right down to the damned maintenance elevator shafts. Because the Core only powers part of our continent and not half the world like it could, this kind of shutdown would not cause any interruption in electricity generation, and it can remain shut down for as long as we need to figure out what's wrong, even decades if it has to. When I addressed the CORE's entire staff, from security and maintenance to the Chief of Supervision, I made sure that they understood that should I detect the slightest hint of danger to even one person due to buildups, I would evacuate the entire CORE and open Stage Three before allowing work to continue. This calmed their fears considerably, but many asked me if I was… worried.

No, I am not. I have implemented every possible safety precaution, even for theoretical events that have never happened and have only the barest thousandth of a percent of a chance to happen. They don't need to be worried and nor do I. I have enough to worry about with my sons. Of course, Sans insists I don't need to… he always says 'Dad, I'm thirty. I've got it handled.' And I'm sure he does. After all, he was a scientist once, like me… he's the most intelligent human being I know, even if he likes to act stupid and lazy just to avoid doing things. And while I still do worry about him, my greatest worry lies with Papyrus. He's twenty, and making his way in the world quite happily, but… he wants to join Undyne in the Royal Guard. It doesn't matter that our country is at peace and no one wants to threaten Asgore... I'm still… scared. Fear… is not something I faced much in my life until I had a family. Then I was scared of everything, even more so when Sans was born, and then when Papyrus was born… But I knew the true meaning of fear when I was told my wife… my Lucida, wasn't coming home. I was petrified for my boys' future. Sans was fifteen and he insisted he'd take care of Papyrus while I worked, and… well, he did, but… I saw every time I looked into his eyes, that he was deeply wounded and depressed. I think he still is. Papyrus was too positive to be hurt so deeply, but he still misses her sometimes… And of course Sans won't take that damned picture of her in her best uniform off the bookshelf…

Perhaps that's why Papyrus wants to be a Royal Guardsman. He wants to be like his mother… Why can't he just be a chef…? He would never make it in any law enforcement or military profession anyhow. He can't bring himself to hurt anyone, ever, not even in defense of someone else, not even for his own sake. He's already come home with broken bones from training, and Undyne can't bring herself to tell him to quit even when he can't hit back in sparring. At least in culinary school he'd only come home with a cut or burn occasionally, and he wouldn't be expected to fight anyone ever… He's been getting so much better at cooking since he started learning from Doggo. Doggo comes across as an impatient and gruff sort, but he's a wonderful teacher and he is nothing but patient with Papyrus.

I don't want my son to be sent to a hospital with a bullet in his chest protecting someone… I'd much rather have to go pick him up from getting stitches for a cut from a paring knife… Well, Sans would probably be the one picking him up. I probably wouldn't even know until the next time I went over to their house and saw the stitches myself.

 _*Gaster sighs quietly._

How the hell did I even get on this subject on a goddamned note log…? Alphys will never shut up if she hears this…

 ** _...END OF AUDIO TRANSCRIPT..._**


	2. Council Hearing 0315199X Pre2

**C:/Users/SecClearance5/GASTERWilliamD/Profile**

 _1 CV_

 _2 Profile Images_

 _3 Security Access Detail_

 _4 CORE Interview Audio_

 _5 Press Interview_

 _6 Chem Eng_

 _7 Med Eng_

 _8 Bio Eng_

 _9 Geo Eng_

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 _3.15.199X CORE GASTERWilliamD Council Disciplinary Hearing_

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"-ust get this out of the way. Formalities, you know."

"Yes, I know. Go ahead."

"Please speak loudly and clearly for the microphone and tell us who you are and your position at the CORE geothermal power plant and CORE labs."

"Of course. I am Doctor William Dragan Gaster, Head of CORE science division and original designer and founder of the CORE plant and labs. Employee code WDG50101S."

"Thank you, sir. Now, are you aware of why the CORE administrative council has asked you to be here today?

"I'm certain it's something important. Perhaps I have broken one of my own rules unknowingly."

"It is important, sir, but you are by no means in trouble. This is less of a disciplinary hearing and more of a… a meeting of concerned coworkers and friends. Everyone here owes their jobs to you, and everyone in this meeting has known you as a friend and leader for at least two years each, some of us more than ten years. We're worried for you, sir.

"And why would that be?"

"To be frank, sir, we are aware of some personal issues that arose in this past year for you."

"Yes. My wife passed away."

"Uh… yes. And we're very sorry for your loss. Many of us knew her, even worked with her on occasion in partnership with the military. But… we couldn't help noticing that you never… took a break. You made it customary to allow up to three weeks of paid vacation for employees who lose loved ones, it's one of the many reasons why employees of the CORE are so satisfied with their jobs, not to mention good wages and hours. But the matter at hand… Sir, we're worried for you. You always look so tired, and you're forgetful when you're tired. That could be dangerous to you. You have never put anyone else in danger, but you seem to hold much less regard for yourself. Just last week you walked into the maintenance tunnels without proper safety gear, but you wouldn't let anyone else go in without it. It's… reckless, sir."

"If you're concerned for my safety, then I will make an effort to avoid unnecessary risks in the future. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen."

"Dr. Gaster, wait! We're not done here."

"What, then?"

"We'd like you to take some time off, sir."

"Aria, you know I can't do that."

"I know no such thing, sir. Listen… as an old friend, one who watched you build this amazing place and a beautiful family, I want you to take some time to get things in order. If only for the sake of your boys, take a long vacation, reconnect with them, and let them know that they didn't lose both parents at once. I've seen Sans since Lucy passed, and he's… Well, sir, I don't think he's doing well. Papyrus might be just fine, being so young, but Lucy was Sans' hero. You and Lucy were everything to them. Don't take it all away. Working twelve-hour days every day means you're never at home and awake with time to spare for those sweet boys. And that's just not f-"

"Stop."

"Sir, please, I'm scared for them. For you."

"This meeting is over, Aria. The subject will be dropped and never raised again."

*Footsteps walk away and a door shuts.

"… Stupid man…"

"Aria? Is there anything we can do?"

"Short of barring him from entering the premises, no. But he'll just keep working cooped up in his workshop at home."

*Aria sighs heavily. There is a clicking sound as she lays her glasses on the table beside the microphone.

"He's going to make those poor boys resent him. Just as much as he resents himself."

"Maybe the king can talk some sense into him?"

"Asgore may be able to fix almost anything in this country. But no one can fix a broken soul."

 ** _…END OF AUDIO TRANSCRIPT._**


	3. Wake 0425198X Pre3

_"I'm so sorry for your loss, Doctor."_

 _"Oh, Gaster, dear… we're all going to miss her so much…"_

 _"She was the best of us, sir. The very damned best."_

 _"Thank you for coming… Oh, son. Sans, you don't have to hold Papyrus all the time, son. I know you don't feel hungry, but please eat something today. He'll be okay for a few minutes."_

April 25th, 198X

"Lucida asked that no religion be brought into her passing, not because she didn't believe in something, but because she knew that among her friends and loved ones, there are many different beliefs. Rather than prayer and a sendoff in a church, she wanted a celebration here in her favorite tavern where she spent many an evening after work either having dinner with her family or chatting over a beer with her friends, colleagues, and fellow soldiers. So though we have laid her to rest, we must look to all the good she left us, and to the future she fought so hard to ensure for our people. To Lucy."

A chorus of "To Lucy" answered Asgore back from around the large, rustic room, echoing off the wooden floors as everyone raised drinks to their lips and toasted Captain Lucida Sans Skjallar's passing. Only an hour before, they had gathered near the town of Echo in the Waterfall region, and watched as Lucy's widowed husband and two sons cast half her ashes into a little stream that would carry them south all across the region. She had loved Waterfall most. It had been where she married, where she lived, and where her sons were born. Everyone had agreed it was only fitting that, when her ashes arrived from overseas, they should be scattered there.

Asgore settled down in his seat with a deep sigh, glancing over to his son. Asriel had been completely calm and quiet since hearing of Lucida's death. Asgore had decided to let him come to the funeral and wake for closure, knowing the boy had loved Lucy and she'd loved him despite his broken mind and sometimes violent outbursts. She'd understood him and his struggle and he was silent and heartbroken at her passing. After straightening the teen's shaggy blonde hair, Asgore sighed and hugged Asriel with one arm.

Off in a corner, Asgore's brows furrowed in concern to see young Sans trying to calm a teary-eyed Papyrus. Gaster had only left their table for a moment to get food for the boys when Papyrus had burst into tears again as he'd already done several times that day. The younger boy leaned heavily on his brother's broad chest, unable to hold back the tide of grief. Sans, on the other hand, simply looked tired and forlorn. His dark hair was always disheveled, the blonde streak above his right eye especially messy. But deep, dark shadows had formed under his eyes similar to Gaster.

Gaster returned from the little buffet of homemade food brought by the wake attendees, and set the two plates down for his sons. Hearing a sniffle from Papyrus, Gaster came out of his haze for just a moment to see Sans holding the younger boy tightly. "Papyrus," Gaster murmured, and the boy's glassy brown eyes opened to stare up at him, begging for Gaster to make the hurt go away. Sans let him go and Papyrus clung to his father when the tall man knelt down.

"Sorry, Dad," Papyrus murmured, his voice muffled against Gaster's sweater.

"Don't apologize. It's okay to be sad. Especially for yourself." Gaster pressed a kiss to the boy's head before looking to his older son. Sans was simply looking on quietly, his hands tucked into his pockets. Normally he'd be in his favorite blue hoodie and baggy jeans and blue sneakers, but he'd decided to dress up in a nice dress shirt, a dark brown jacket, new jeans, and boots for the sake of his mother's funeral, especially considering many of her military and police friends had come in their dress uniforms.

"Sans," Gaster spoke up softly. "Come here, son." Sans hesitated, but soon stepped into his father's embrace with Papyrus between them. He felt tears start to well up, but like his father, he always forced them back until no one was looking. Neither wanted Papyrus to see them break down and they hoped to uphold some kind of steady constant for him.

The three all held each other for a long moment before Gaster finally stood and guided them back to their seats. "Please eat something, Sans," Gaster murmured, smoothing Sans' messy hair back. "Your mother would kill me if she saw you starving yourself like this."

"I'm not hungry, Dad," Sans told him with a sigh for the third time that day.

"I know. Neither am I…" Gaster took his own seat, picking out a small sandwich from one of the plates. Despite all of the good food that lined the long tables against the wall, nothing looked appetizing and it all tasted like dust to Gaster. Papyrus seemed to still have an appetite, which Gaster was thankful for as the eleven-year old was growing like a weed and he needed all the nutrition he could get. Sans, at fifteen, was only a head and a bit taller than Papyrus and Gaster was certain he'd probably not even reach his mother's height in the end.

The little family had a long moment of peace between them, until they finished eating and some friends approached. Toriel Dreemurr, a tall and imposing woman who had been a friend of Gaster's family since he was a teenager, paused beside Gaster and laid a gentle hand on his back while Asgore stepped over to Sans and Papyrus with Asriel. The three boys didn't know each other well but were friendly, and Papyrus was glad for Asgore's kind attention.

"They'll never be the same," Gaster muttered to Toriel, his one good eye flicking between Sans and Papyrus as they spoke to the King and his son.

"No. No they won't. But that doesn't mean they have to be worse off for it. The same goes for you."

"Toriel, you of all people ought to know that I'll be fine. I always am."

"You haven't always been a widower, William. It's no shame to not be okay for a while. For a long time, in fact. Just as long as you don't let yourself lose all faith."

"I'm a scientist, Tori. Faith is not in my job description. I'll be fine and I'll get my work done like I always have. Nothing will change at the CORE." Gaster adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, only for Toriel to take both his hands. They were smaller than her own, and hers were practically flawless compared to his rough, terribly-scarred skin. Large, circular, deeply-ridged scars showed on each of his palms, telling of a disastrous accident in the CORE some years ago. Lucy had saved him then, and again from the accident that had taken one of his eyes and left the vicious scars on his face.

"Your hands look worse every time I see them…" Toriel murmured, noting the little nicks on his knuckles. A white bandage was wrapped around one hand, covering a nasty cut on his palm. "For a scientist who works with such delicate machinery all the time… you're terribly clumsy, William." Toriel sighed and wrapped her arms about his shoulders. Gaster's hands returned to his lap and his head bowed low in silence. Those damned tears were welling up again, just like they had two nights before when he'd cut his hand on a large shard of broken glass, and Lucy wasn't there to wrap his hand up and berate him for being an idiot and never wearing gloves while he worked.

Toriel felt a couple tears drip down onto her sleeve and she let Gaster turn toward her to hide his face against her shoulder. Taking a seat beside him, she let him hide for the moment and offered a gentle, reassuring smile to his two sons as they looked on, worried by how their father's shoulders trembled and he seemed to have trouble breathing.

"Why don't we give him a moment, boys?" Asgore asked softly. He placed a hand on Sans and Papyrus' shoulders, but Papyrus didn't hesitate to scamper over to Gaster's side. He slipped into Toriel's arms too, wrapping his own about Gaster's neck and settling in his lap.

"It's okay to be sad," Papyrus repeated his father's assurance back to him, only to be hugged tightly in Gaster's shaking arms. Papyrus dutifully removed Gaster's glasses so they wouldn't get smudged or fogged up, setting them aside on the table before wiping away a few tears from Gaster's face with the corner of his sleeve, just like Sans and Lucy had often done for Papyrus himself.

"You're a good boy, Papyrus," Toriel murmured, earning a pained smile from the boy as he laid his head against Gaster's shoulder.

"It's okay to be sad…" Papyrus repeated once more as Gaster tried to choke back a quiet sob, his face hidden against Papyrus' scarf. "Sans told me that grief is a good thing. Even elephants and gorillas get sad, so it's gotta be natural." Toriel knew Papyrus was trying to appeal to Gaster's logical and scientific mind, something he and Sans and Lucy had often done to sway him when he was thoroughly against something they all wanted. "Sans said Mom cried every time a soldier or policeman she knew died. So crying has to be one of the strongest things we can, do… right? 'Cause Mom was the strongest of us all."

"That's right, buddy," Sans finally spoke up as he approached, laying a hand on Gaster's shoulder. "She was the strongest and she's still a hero. If Ma could cry, then it's gotta be the strongest thing we can do for her right now."

"But you don't cry, Sans," Papyrus murmured, meeting his brother's mismatched eyes.

"Then I guess I've got some training to do, huh?" That earned a momentary glance from Gaster, and Sans' usual easygoing smile faltered for a moment. Gaster had caught Sans crying several times, usually in the middle of the night when Papyrus was asleep, or during the day when no one was around or Sans thought no one was looking.

Asgore stepped up behind Sans, and Asriel nudged the older boy forward into the little group hug. Toriel welcomed him in and Papyrus wrapped an arm around him too, but tears only finally brimmed in Sans' eyes when he felt Gaster's hand on his back.

"See, you can do it," Papyrus encouraged even as a fresh wave of tears came over him as well.

"You're the best teacher, Pap…"


	4. Every Year Pt1

"SANS!"

"Whaaaaaaat…?"

"Get off your lazy ass and come help me!"

"But I'm working."

"You're sleeping at your post _as usual._ "

...

 **January 9** **th** **, 213X**

...

Slowly dragging himself from his chair in the sentry station, Sans tucked his hands into his hoodie pockets and strolled out the side door to see Undyne waiting for him with crossed arms and a scowl. "'Sup, Undyne?" He asked with his usual lazy, wide grin. The tall and slender woman's single piercing eye glared down at him and she straightened her black uniform jacket with clear annoyance.

"I just got a call from Asgore that Asriel's gone missing, slipped out of the castle when no one was looking. We need to get over to New Home and help find him. I've already got the boys setting up a perimeter and Papyrus is joining the search parties."

"This happens every year around this time, Undyne. The kid just wants to get out and have a second to himself for once," Sans insisted with an unconcerned shrug.

"Sans, this is serious. You know how easy it is for him to get stressed and anything could set him off," Undyne growled, her hands moving to her hips in a gesture that told Sans he wasn't going to convince her.

"Alright, alright… Take down the perimeter. I'll go get him." Sans began strolling away toward his white pickup parked behind the sentry station.

"What do you mean, 'take down the perimeter?' What if he gets out of the city? Then we'll never find him!" Undyne growled, following him to the truck and glaring at him as he so nonchalantly flopped into the seat, started the engine, and began surfing the radio as if he had all the time in the world, rolling the window down at the same time.

"You have no chill, do you? Leave it to me. If I don't call you by noon tomorrow, send in the cavalry. Start with the park outside Echo." Sans clicked in his seatbelt, but before he could put the truck in gear, Undyne reached in through the open window and laid a hand on Sans' arm.

"Sans," Undyne spoke in a suddenly quiet tone. "How do you know where he is? Why do you always know how to find him? You're the only one other than Frisk who can make him go home when this happens."

"It's January 9th, Undyne," Sans told her with another smile, one that seemed almost… sad. "Tomorrow, noon. No sooner, or else you'll scare him away. Then we'll have to search half the damned country. Capiche?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. But… listen, do you need anything for him or yourself before you go?" Undyne rarely softened, but the concern in her gaze was that of an old friend who'd seen Sans deal with such delicate matters far too often. Asriel could be dangerous, and Sans was the type to let the younger man beat the hell out of him just to get out his frustration and rage. Sans always came out on the winning end, but not without a black eye or a cracked rib.

"Actually… Yeah, there's one thing. Try to keep Asriel's dear ol' dad from freaking out. Tori too, because I know she'll blame Asgore for all this. Tell 'em… Sans'll explain when Asriel's ready to come back. I'll call you tomorrow morning and let you know if we're gonna be gone another day or so, 'kay?"

"Got it. Take good care of the kid," Undyne stepped back and with one more reassuring grin from Sans, the truck pulled away and headed eastward.

...

It took two hours to pass through Waterfall, stopping along the way to get fuel and coffee, and then another hour to reach New Home at the foot of Mount Under. Sans had never really liked the city, having grown up in a small college town in Waterfall. He preferred Snowdin above the rest of the country. It was quiet, people were friendly, and nothing ever happened.

Weaving up Alder Boulevard, Sans scanned the right side of the road occasionally until he saw just what he was looking for. He indicated and turned right into a parking lot, pulling into one of the many empty spaces. There were only a handful of cars around, probably belonging to joggers who liked the adjoining park and people bringing dogs to Frisbee sessions. Sans nudged his door open and stepped out, glancing outward toward a stand of old oak trees where he saw a familiar mess of blonde hair and a green hoodie.

Bringing his cup of coffee, and a second cup of hot cocoa he'd picked up, Sans nudged the pickup door shut with his shoe and made his way around the short fence. The younger man didn't seem to notice his approach until Sans sat down a few feet away in the grass. Slowly, Asriel raised his head and glanced over. His tired, surprised expression told Sans that Asriel hadn't expected to be found so easily and so soon. "What do you want?" Asriel's voice was hoarse and his eyes were watery, wet spots showing on his baggy sleeves.

"I thought you could use some hot chocolate," Sans told him with a shrug and a smile, setting the cup down on the ground between them. He knew not to get too close to Asriel too quickly. Asriel needed space now more than ever, physically and emotionally.

"Dad sent you," the blond murmured, reaching out slowly to take the cup as if he was worried Sans would reach out and try to grab him. To Sans, it was a good sign that Asriel was accepting the cup at all.

"Kinda. He called Undyne because he knows I'm the only one who can find you before you starve yourself," Sans answered before taking a sip of his coffee. "I told her to tell him that I'd come find you, but I'm not gonna drag you home. Said I'd call her in the morning and let her know you're okay."

"You're gonna stick around that long?" Asriel asked dryly.

"You betcha. Someone's gotta make sure you don't go out clubbing too late." That earned a weak smirk from Asriel and Sans' smile softened. "I won't intrude, kiddo. I just wanna make sure you get dinner and a warm place to sleep. Last year you would've gotten pneumonia if I hadn't dragged you to a hotel. Speaking of which, my ass is already frozen just sitting here, man. You gotta be really uncomfortable."

"A little, but it's okay," Asriel murmured. "I'm not going anywhere. You can go sit in your truck if you want."

"So can you if you want, bud. Whenever you're ready, we'll go find something to eat, alright? No rush." Sans rose, dusting snow off his jeans. He paused for a moment, then stepped forward slowly to ruffle Asriel's hair, finding that the younger man didn't flinch away. That was an even better sign. "I know you hate being stuck, kiddo. And you know… just like the past twelve years… you can always call me when you feel trapped. I'll drive across the damn country to make sure you can get out and breathe. Frisk will too."

"I know… I just don't wanna inconvenience you guys like that…" Asriel's shoulders hunched and he tucked his head, making Sans draw back and give him space.

"It's not inconvenient when we both agree that getting the hell away from all this with you is pretty relaxing for us too." Sans' smile grew warmer when Asriel glanced up at him with a touch of surprise. "We get world-weary too, Az. Myself especially. Life may be all rainbows and sunshine these days, but sometimes you want a little rain to remind you how good it feels to come back from being sad. I'll be in the truck, buddy. You relax."

Asriel watched Sans stride away easily, and he wondered how the older man could always be so laid-back when he had his own hurricane of turmoil to deal with too. Asriel was one of only a handful of people who struggled with the same knowledge as Sans, and it made all of their lives that much harder, wondering when everything would just… reset.


	5. Simple Life Pt2

"Hey, Frisk. Can you let Pap know I won't make it home tonight? I think his phone's dead… Yeah, no worries. Asriel's gonna keep me outta trouble… Nah, we're good. Just gonna relax, y'know? Thanks babe… Love you too. Bye."

…

 **January 9** **th** **, 213X**

…

The low rumble of the pickup's engine was almost soothing to Asriel as they coasted down the road toward Echo. It was familiar, a safe place that, despite being enclosed and small, was comfortable even with his severe claustrophobia. The truck smelled like old leather and a pine air freshener, and while it was fairly clean, there were some old wrappers from straws, and crumbs here and there. Sans' coffee and Asriel's hot cocoa cups sat empty in the central cup-holders, and Asriel was wrapped up in Sans' hoodie as the heat in the truck wasn't working too well at the moment. Sans had insisted he was just fine with his white sweater.

The truck slowly rolled to a halt in a gravel lot near a wooden fence. The town of Echo was visible further down the road, but they'd come far enough. Asriel hadn't even had to ask or say a word after they'd finished eating dinner at a little café on the way. Sans knew where he needed to go.

Opening the door and slipping from the truck seat, Asriel pulled Sans' hoodie a little tighter about his thin shoulders. The park was beautiful even in winter with all the green covered up and frozen. But the distinct blue of the echoflowers still stood out here and there, the tallest coming from the many frozen ponds. It was the lowest area in Waterfall, called Echo Valley. The town had been named after it and the flowers, and it was half water, half raised grassy paths with boarded walks to keep people from slipping on the eroding land. The great waterfall at the north end of the valley ended in a massive, deep lake the likes of which just didn't exist anywhere else in the world, but a few streams ran off of it. The largest and longest ran through the park and carried water across the continent.

This very stream, named Yule River for only ever freezing over on or around the Solstice, had an ancient tradition that only few ever observed anymore. Back when Delta was young over seven-hundred years ago, it had been customary for the bodies of fallen warriors to be cremated and let loose in the river at the end of a war. The last person to have been laid to rest there was none other than Captain Lucida Sansa Skjallar after a cargo plane she'd been on, delivering supplies to a struggling town in a poor country, went down over the ocean east of Delta. The day of her funeral, it had seemed as if at least once person from every family in all of Delta was in attendance. Even Asriel had come. He'd loved Lucy like a second mother, and she was one of very few people who took the time to understand him and was able to calm him and bring him back to himself when his other half took over.

Sans and Asriel came to a halt at the riverbank, and Asriel sat quietly on his knees after a long moment. Sans simply stared at the flowing water, the occasional small chunk of ice obliterated by the waterfall drifting by. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Asriel pull a small metal cylinder, about the size of a film canister, from his pocket. It was roughly etched with the letters 'LSS.' Sans had seen it many times. He had given Asriel a pinch of Lucida's ashes in a little glass bottle, and Asriel had put that inside of a metal case to protect it until he was ready to let it go. With how rough his life had been, Sans wasn't surprised that Asriel still wasn't ready. In truth, Sans had never given his own up either, nor had Papyrus or their father. Papyrus was planning to loose the ashes along with her favorite scarf which he still wore, once he became a royal guardsman like her. Gaster and Sans, on the other hand, would probably never let theirs go.

"Do you think she'd be mad at me?" Asriel finally spoke up after a long silence.

"What for?" Sans raised an eyebrow, giving Asriel a concerned but kind grin.

"For not getting better? For running away so much?"

"Nah, kiddo, if anything, she'd be proud of you for never giving up. And you have gotten better, Az. You're the zen master at this point."

"No, that's Frisk," Asriel chuckled weakly.

"Okay, zen junior master. I've seen you lose it and pull yourself back without help, buddy. That's amazing. I certainly can't do that."

"But you never lose your cool."

"I do. Just not in front of anyone," Sans murmured, his smile fading a bit. "Well… Frisk and Pap catch me sometimes, and they always pull me back even when I don't want to be okay again. We all lose ourselves sometimes, kid. Maybe not all in the same way… but it does happen, a lot more than you'd think."

"I never saw _her_ break down."

"Ma broke down a lot, actually… she had a big heart and it would break all the time. Dad could usually help her pick herself up again if she couldn't do it alone. Though I remember a few times that it was only me and Pap that could get her to get out of bed in the morning. Even the happiest people can hit rock bottom. That's what she always told us, because she wanted us to know it was okay to be sad or hurt, as long as we didn't let those feelings rule us forever, and we tried to make ourselves happy, even if 'happy' wasn't the easiest or the most profitable."

"You're a lot like her, you know. Always spouting off wisdom like that," Asriel murmured with a smile, earning a chuckle from Sans.

"Heh. If I can be a fraction of the person she was, I'll consider my life well-lived, squirt."

…

 _Vzzzzzzt. Vzzzzzzt. Vzzzzzzt. Vzz-_

"Wagner here… Oh, Sans. No, it's fine, my alarm was about to ring in a few minutes anyway… Okay… Yeah, I'll let him know. How's the kid? …Cool, good. Just try to get him home tomorrow, if only for Asgore's sake. Toriel's on the warpath… Gotcha. Bye."

"Undyne…?" The quiet voice of a curvy, tiny woman beside Undyne made her pause after hanging up with Sans.

"Morning, babe," Undyne murmured, setting her phone on the nightstand before leaning over to press a kiss to Alphys' cheek.

"How's Asriel?" Alphys asked sleepily, rolling onto her side to lay a hand on Undyne's toned, bare arm. Both had worn dark tank-tops and boxers to bed as per usual, the one setting in which Alphys wasn't so self-conscious about her exposed skin. Undyne always made her feel beautiful even when she was in an unflattering, stained labcoat and rubber boots from field work.

"Sans just said Az was calm and he needed more time. But he sounded pretty chill, so I'm guessing it's alright. You know how Sans loves to give details." Undyne stretched her arms and back as far as they would go before turning on her side to curl up beside Alphys once more, her wild red hair fanned out around her head.

"I c-can't think of anyone b-better to be with Asriel right now th-than Sans," Alphys muttered. "Yesterday was p-probably hard for b-both of them, even if Sans likes t-to pretend he's fine. January ninth has always b-been hard on the Skjallars."

"Speaking of… how was Gaster yesterday?" Undyne questioned, but Alphys shook her head.

"I don't know. He c-came into the lab, but n-no one saw him all day. He d-didn't leave at the u-usual time, so I g-guess he must've stayed late."

"That's nothing new… He does that at least twice a week. But not even coming out of his office… I'm guessing he just wanted to drown himself in work and avoid the memories."

"He always d-does that this time of year… And again in April."

Undyne sighed, pulling Alphys in tight at those words. Lucy's death had been on January ninth in 198X, fifteen years ago. But it'd taken until April to find the body of the plane and bring up the bodies from the ocean floor, cremate them, and send them home to Delta. Those months of sadness without closure had just about ruined Dr. William Gaster and his older son, while young Papyrus had managed to find some solace in Lucy's ashes finally coming home and had ultimately been able to recover. Sans and Gaster had both once been very happy if somewhat serious people, but losing Lucy had taken away Gaster's heart and made Sans into a recluse for a year. When he returned from hiding, he'd become the lazy, laid-back person they all knew and loved, and there was almost no way to make him excited or upset about anything beyond protecting his brother. Gaster had never disappeared, instead drowning himself in work until he drifted apart from his sons and Sans took Papyrus and moved to Snowdin on their own.

Then, little Frisk had arrived and things changed drastically for the then-blockaded country, and the recurring conflicts with greater outside powers had ceased for the most part. Undyne still wasn't sure how Frisk, only nine years old then, had managed to be such a Pacifist and talk down world leaders from starting a new World War that might've ended Delta altogether.

Eventually Undyne and Alphys slipped out of bed together, and Alphys wandered to the kitchen while Undyne headed toward the bathroom to shower. The coffee was ready by the time Undyne came out in a fresh undershirt and her uniform pants, her hair dried and brushed out until it shone vibrant red. Just as every morning, Alphys met her with a kiss and a mug of coffee before going to shower herself, while Undyne made breakfast. Her incredibly… intense cooking had calmed down over time and she, like Papyrus, had become quite the home chef. When Alphys emerged again, Undyne was still waiting on the spinach, egg, and feta quiche to finish baking, but had fried up a few strips of bacon to tide them over a while.

Alphys came out in a light blue T-shirt and jeans, her job being one that never required a dress code under her lab coat, as long as she wore protective gear as needed. "C-can you meet for lunch today?" Alphys asked, glancing over her shoulder at Undyne while she pulled a carton of orange juice from the fridge.

"Will you be disappointed if I say Asgore and I made plans?" Undyne asked with a guilty smile.

"N-not at all," Alphys assured her, giving her a quick kiss to prove she didn't mind. "He probably n-needs a break from Toriel."

"That's exactly why he asked me yesterday," Undyne chuckled, bringing the plate of bacon to the table and sitting across from Alphys. "Why don't you try to get Gaster to join you? I know he likes to be on his own, but even he needs a little social interaction now and then, and I know he won't take the day off even after working too much overtime."

"He's supposed to b-be recalibrating one of the c-cooling systems with me this morning, so I'll ask then."

"Just try not to flirt too much with the old man, 'kay?" Undyne let out a deep laugh as Alphys suddenly flushed bright red. "Oh, I'm just messing with you, Alph. I know you're all mine, even if you used to have a huge nerdy crush on him!"

"Undyne!" She groaned, hiding her blushing face in her hands.

"Aww, you're so cute when you're flustered," Undyne practically giggled, coming around the table to take Alphys' hands away and make her forget everything for a few seconds with a proper, searing kiss. She felt Alphys tense, and then practically turn to jelly, draping her arms over Undyne's powerful shoulders in complete submission to her boisterous charms. When their lips parted, Undyne gave Alphys a little smirk that had the smaller woman blushing all over again. "See if you can get off work early today, babe. I think we need an extra-long date night."


	6. INTERIM MESSAGE

Hello, dear readers! This is Taiylor R. Wallace, the author of Snowdin Family and CORE Data. (And Adventure Time in Aaa if you remember that stuff!)

I just want to thank you lovely people for coming on the adventure with me. I'm really loving these stories and I'm so excited when I get feedback from you.

For CORE Data Readers:

This story can be a little strange because it has a separate prelude that can be read separately from the main story, and the Prelude chapters will be scattered through here and there, specifically marked as Prelude (Pre) chapters. Thus far there's 3 Prelude chapters and 2 Main chapters if I remember what I've written. You might not know what to expect from this story, but I can promise some shipping fluff from SansxFrisk (adult, of course), AlphysxUndyne, and MettatonxPapyrus. The story will probably shift between different main characters depending on the situation, but will usually sit around the main 'boss' monsters, Frisk, and Gaster.

I'd like to note that Sans and Papyrus' mother, Lucida Skjallar, is an original character. There are other incarnations of their mother as 'Arial,' but I wanted to use 'Lucida Sans' just for an excuse to say Sans is named after her.

If you'd like more information about this story and my artwork around it, please click HERE for my DeviantArt page. If you go into my gallery, you'll find folders labeled with the stories and art inside! Here's the CORE Data folder. You can also go straight to this picture, 'The Faces of Humantale' to see exactly what my versions of the characters look like and find their profiles in the description of the picture!

For Snowdin Family readers:

You guys get artsy love too! While I don't have a 'Faces of Human!Mobtale' yet, I do have a folder RIGHT HERE with all the chapters and some fluffy KittenxDon art, in order from newest to oldest.

Snowdin Family is definitely my baby right now and I find myself staying up way too late writing all the time, and I'm really looking forward to the next chapters! There isn't enough KittenxDon G out there, so here's my love letter to all you fellow shippers.

To ALL:

If you are or would like to join me on Deviantart, please consider following me there and here so you can get the story with all the artwork, and you can join my on my 'Year of Creativity' challenge where I draw something every single day for a year. Usually I finish whatever I sketch, and you can see that in my dA gallery. The stuff I'm most proud of is on my 'Featured' gallery page with my story cover art and the first chapters and the first Prelude chapter to CORE Data.

I do prefer the medium of Deviantart right now because I'm not much of a Tumblr person (I am on it, though) and FanFiction can be... limiting. I would've liked to be able to put a trigger warning on a recent chapter in Snowdin Family, but I don't really have a way to do that here. At least on dA I can hit the 'Mature Content' warning, and I can post all kinds of art there!

If you are interested in following my posts and my work, please consider the links below!

DeviantArt (TaiylorWallace)

FanFiction (TaiylorWallace)

Tumblr (Taiylor's Artbook)

Please do feel free to talk to me and leave reviews because I love hearing from you guys! I'm also taking Undertale-related free requests on DeviantArt if you like my style!

Goodbye, my loves!

-TRW


	7. Echo Pt3

_"Oh, Asriel! Honey, I was so worried…"_

 _"Son, we nearly sent everyone out looking… where were you? Sans, how did you know where to find him?"_

"Give the kid a little space, guys. I think I'll finally explain this year…"

…

 **January 10** **th** **, 213X**

…

After a night spent at a little motel, a hearty breakfast at a diner Asriel had never been to, and a bit of wandering, the Prince had finally decided to go home. Sans hadn't pressed him about it at all, and perhaps that was why he felt so comfortable with the older man. Upon arriving at the castle, Asriel and Sans had been escorted inside by guards and straight to the Throne Room where Toriel and Asgore were waiting on opposite sides of the room. Immediately drawn into his mother's arms, Asriel had remained quiet until he eventually asked to be excused to his room and Sans walked with Asgore and Toriel into their little living area of the castle.

Asgore brought tea to the table, and Toriel brought her famous butterscotch-cinnamon pie. Sans gladly partook of both while he gathered his thoughts to explain to the two worried parents. After taking a sip of the tea, Sans glanced between them. Their eyes were downcast to their cups and plates, thinking only of Asriel.

"So, uh… I don't think I have to tell you guys that this is about Ma… right?"

"No, we knew," Asgore sighed. "I just can't understand why Asriel feels the need to run away."

"He needs space," Sans told them simply, and that made their brows stitch in concern.

"Does he feel like we smother him?" Toriel asked quietly.

"Kinda," Sans nodded. "I know the poor kid's got some problems… and I know he can be dangerous when it gets bad enough. But he's a good kid and he's hurt badly. Comfort is great and all… but sometimes you just need to be alone when you're down. Especially when you're thinking about someone you lost that loved you like her own…"

"Of course we can understand that," Asgore murmured, glancing to Toriel as she nodded, one of the few times she'd agreed with him at all since Asriel had disappeared. "But… we worry about leaving him unattended when something might… trigger him. And there aren't many people that can soothe him when that happens."

"You just gotta learn how."

"You know how?"

"It's not foolproof, but I can do it almost as well as Ma."

"You must teach us, Sans," Toriel insisted, and Sans shook his head.

"It's different for every person, Tori. You'll have to learn by trial and error."

"I'm certainly willing… but that can be dangerous not just to me, but Asriel as well…"

"It can be. And you might not like my suggestion, but…"

"Yes?" Asgore asked, ready to try anything.

"You two need to tackle it together." The silence that answered Sans made him sigh. Of course Asgore was willing, but Toriel was hesitant. "Come on, Tori. I know you don't want to spend any more time around here than you have to, but this is for Asriel."

"I can manage… for Asriel."

"I'll try to make it as painless as possible, Tori," Asgore assured her. He retreated a bit when she glared over at him, and he knew what she wanted to say to him. _You'll try to help Asriel, but not Chara?_

"Alright, guys. United front, come on. This is your son we're talking about," Sans reminded them. "I know a lot of awful stuff has happened in the past, but this is now. Asriel's a sweet kid who's carrying a lot of hurt on his shoulders. If you really wanna fight, go somewhere else where he can't hear it. No one can fix your issues but you, so leave the kid out of it."

It was embarrassing to be scolded by a man twenty years younger than them, but the King and Queen nodded in agreement. Sans had good sense that the parents' disagreements had robbed from them.

"Good," Sans sighed, rising once he drained his tea cup. "I'm gonna go say goodbye to the kid. And around this time next year, let Asriel do what he wants, and he'll come home on his own. Don't trap him. Just leave the door unlocked. And if anything happens, call me and I'll get him home."

"Thank you, Sans," Toriel muttered, rising to hug the younger man before Asgore shook his hand in thanks as well.

"No worries. Later." Sans tucked his hands into his hoodie pockets and strolled out of the den. Toriel and Asgore shared a glance, but Asgore kept quiet. With a deep sigh, Toriel kissed his cheek and took the dishes into the kitchen, leaving him stunned on the spot.

…

The drive felt like forever, but when Sans ended up in Echo outside Frisk's little apartment, he couldn't help a little grin. Frisk's car was in the parking lot, so Sans didn't hesitate to walk right into the building and up the flight of stairs. He tapped on the familiar door with a rhythmic knock that would let Frisk know it was him.

"Who's there?" That familiar and calm voice called out anyway.

"Broken pencil."

"… Broken pencil who?"

"Ah, forget it. There's no point."

"Oh my god, Sans." The door opened and Sans looked up to see his younger partner staring down at him with some level of amusement. "Did you really just make a pun and a knock-knock joke at the same time?"

"That was amateur stuff, babe," Sans assured them, striding under their arm and into the apartment. Frisk's place was always tidy and welcoming, so Sans had no qualms about flopping down on the couch with a comfortable sigh.

Frisk and Sans were considered by many to be an odd couple. Sans, being long descended from natives of the region, had a fairly dark complexion and black hair. He was short for a man at only 5'3", and very muscular and broad despite his clothes almost giving him a chubby look. He had a barrel chest and thick limbs and he looked like he could stop a speeding truck. Frisk, on the other hand, was somewhat tall at 6'1", had lightly tanned, white skin and a lean, narrow, and thin but powerful frame. Frisk was masculine in body and many folks often went with their biological, male gender. Frisk didn't seem to be terribly defensive about it, but they had always been non-binary since their friends had met them in 201X.

Frisk came to settle on the couch and Sans placed his head in their lap quite comfortably. Feeling Frisk play with the blonde stripe in his hair, Sans gave them a grin.

"So how did it go?" Frisk asked calmly, laying their other hand on Sans' broad chest.

"Asriel's home and his parents are gonna try to be a little more… helpful. They'll have to figure it out for themselves, though."

"Mhm. It'll take a while for him to build up that particular trust with them."

"What about you? What've you been up to?"

"Work, mostly. I spent a little time with Blue and Mettaton yesterday. We went out to dinner to celebrate Blue being given top honors in their class."

"That's pretty fantastic." Sans' grin grew wider. It was so strange to see all of their friends grown up and making their own lives. Sans, being perhaps the oldest in the whole group, felt a little melancholy sometimes at the memories twelve years back.

"I thought so. Mettaton asked a lot of questions about you, you know."

"What like?"

"Like whether you ever actually take me out on dates, or if our idea of a 'date' is laying around on the couch eating take-out."

"Well, it's almost lunchtime. We're halfway there right now."

"How romantic, Mr. Skjallar." Frisk chuckled, lifting a hand from Sans' chest to stroke his stubbled cheek fondly.

"I do my best." Sans pulled his phone from his pocket and found the usual number to their favorite take-out place in his contacts. Frisk slipped away into the kitchen to get them each a drink, listening to Sans talk to the worker on the other end. He called them by name and that made Frisk shake their head with a smile. Sans knew everyone at their favorite restaurants and was always friendly to them all.

"Hey, babe, you want crab rangoons?"

"Yes please."

"Yeah, a full order of those, Jake. Thanks, you're the best… Frisk's place. You have the address on file, right? … Sweet, see you soon. Bye."

Frisk returned with a glass of water and a beer in a glass bottle. They always kept Sans' favorite brand around. It came from an Echo microbrewery called Whitehall that used a tiny hint of echo flower oil in their brewing process. Echo flowers were famously deadly, but when the oil was carefully treated with just a touch of common sugar, it became harmless and had a delicate floral taste. Of all the people to drink a flowery beer, Frisk would've expected Sans to be the last. But he loved the stuff. Frisk didn't drink often, versus Sans who Frisk often teased for being a 'borderline alcoholic.'

They chatted about nothing in particular, touching occasionally on what their other friends were up to and a blizzard expected for that weekend. Eventually after their food arrived, Frisk asked a question Sans didn't really want to answer.

"So how were you yesterday? You know…"

"Fine." Sans' answer was a little too quick and he tried to be casual, popping a wonton into his mouth.

"Sans."

"I was busy lookin' after the kid. It was fine."

"You must've taken him to the stream."

"Yeah…"

"Did you get a chance to talk to her at all?"

"To who?"

"You know exactly who."

"You can't talk to dead people, Frisk."

"But you _can_ get your thoughts out. I know you're not a person who worries about things like the afterlife or whether the dead can still watch over us… but even _you_ aren't immune to the need to talk to your mother. And being near where you lay a person to rest tends to make that come out."

"… Yeah, I talked to her… Or talked at the water… whatever." Sans set down his plate then, and Frisk's brows furrowed in concern.

"I won't ask any more questions," Frisk assured him softly. "I'm sorry, Sans."

"I told her I miss her… Shit, I tell her that every year," Sans admitted. The dam was breaking. Frisk was one of very few people who could make that happen, and Sans hated it.

"Babe…"

"I told her what Papyrus has been up to, the lessons with Doggo and the training… I told her about work, but nothing much has changed. I felt like I had to say something about Dad too, but all I could really tell her was that he's still working hard as usual." Sans let his head rest in his hands. He hated this. Once he started, he couldn't stop. It hurt, but he had to keep going and get it out, for his own sake. "I told her about you and me, and how I'm pretty sure Mettaton and Pap are a thing now... Stuff like that. And… goddammit, I got even stupider and asked her how she was, like she could fucking answer me."

"Sans…"

"Who the hell asks a dead person if they're having a good fucking day? She's _dead_ , she's not having any kind of day!"

"Sans." Frisk moved over to wrap an arm around Sans' middle.

"And who goes on to ask a fucking favor? I asked her to keep an extra lookout for Pap… God, I'm so stupid…"

"Stop." Frisk's quiet yet demanding tone made Sans glance up at his partner. Frisk's expression was serene and neutral as ever, and they hugged Sans close to their side. "It's okay, Sans," Frisk soothed, and Sans' shoulders sagged, letting his head fall into his hands once more. "You might not believe she can hear you. But… well, I think she can. I know you're not really the kind of person for religion or spirituality… and I'm not either. But I don't think anyone is just gone when they die. I feel like there's a reason we scatter their ashes in special places… it's so we have a place we can go to and talk to them. Even if they can't answer… it's hard to believe that they aren't at least aware, wherever they are… It seems naïve, but… it's the only hope some people have. And that's important."

Drawing Sans in with both arms until his head came to rest on their chest, Frisk kissed his forehead. "You've got to have some hope. Maybe not faith… but hope. It's the only thing that keeps you going when everything else crumbles."

"… You should be a poet," Sans muttered, and Frisk couldn't help a little smile.

"I'll write it all down for you if that'll help."

"You and Pap are the only hope I need, Frisk… I'll be okay with you guys."

"I'm glad to hear it… and I hope your mom approves."

"She'd love you. You're the only person that makes me excited to get out of bed."

"Or into it." That earned a true laugh from the shorter man, and he wrapped his arms around Frisk in return.

"Yeah, that too… but don't tell her that."

"I promise I'll keep your love life a secret." Both laughed then, holding each other tightly until Sans lifted his head to steal a proper kiss, and Frisk was quite content to oblige him for the next several minutes.


	8. Surge Pt4

_Vzzzt. Vzzzt. Vzzzt. Vzzzt. Vzzzt. Vzz-_

"… Hello…? Hi, Pap… Yeah, it's me. Sans is asleep… No, he's okay. He just wanted to stay over after he took Asriel home… Oh, I'm sorry, we didn't hear our phones earlier. I'll let him know you called when he gets up… Okay. Bye, sweetie."

…

 **January 11** **th** **, 213X**

…

Frisk let out a long sigh, setting Sans' phone back on the nightstand before laying back against the pillows again. Glancing over, Frisk found Sans hadn't moved from the moment they'd fallen asleep. Frisk had been holding him until the phone vibrated. Sans always seemed to sleep more soundly when someone was holding him. Perhaps that was left over from so many years of going to Papyrus when he had nightmares, and vice versa.

Frisk slid back over and retook their place curled up against the broader man's back, an arm draping around Sans' stomach. With another sigh, Frisk fell still and closed their eyes.

"Was that Papyrus…?" Sans' deep voice asked, nearly startling Frisk.

"Uh… yeah. Have you been awake the whole time…?" Frisk murmured, holding Sans a little tighter and pressing their bare chest to his back.

"No. Heard you say goodbye, that's about it."

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"'S'alright." Sans turned over to face Frisk and pulled them into his broad arms against his barrel chest and pressed a kiss to their forehead. "What time is it…?"

"Midnight. Papyrus was worried when you never went home."

"Yeah… probably should've texted him or something… I'll make it up to him."

"He said he wanted you to call him back in the morning. Something personal he wants to tell you."

"Heh. I've got a few guesses as to what it is."

"Me too." Frisk lifted their head and stole a kiss from Sans' lips. "Hmm…"

"Hmm, what?"

"Nothing. Just realizing this is one of the few times we've been almost naked in bed together and it hasn't led to anything." Frisk was just in their boxers while Sans was in a pair of black lounge pants, one of the handful of clothing articles he always left at Frisk's place because he slept over so often.

"I mean, I could fix that," Sans chuckled, his arms wrapping a little tighter around his partner's middle while Frisk's hands settled on his chest.

"I don't know. You still seem pretty tired."

"I can get up late."

"As usual."

"Hey, now…" Sans lifted his head to kiss a sensitive spot under Frisk's ear, making his younger partner shiver and swat his chest.

"Don't you start that," Frisk laughed softly. They sat up, pushing Sans onto his back, and easily straddled his waist. "You know I hate it when you distract me like that."

"You love it." Sans' hands rose to Frisk's shoulders and trailed down their toned and lean torso slowly. Sans had always thought when he was younger that he was strictly straight, but Frisk had one of the most beautiful masculine bodies Sans had ever seen and he could barely keep his hands off them some days. Sans often joked that he was still technically straight because Frisk was genderless, but he really wouldn't have cared what gender Frisk was in the end. That was one of the many reasons Frisk loved him so much- he didn't care what form Frisk was in. Sans would still love them and be equally obsessed with their mind and body.

Frisk watched Sans' fingers catch the waistband of the dark boxers, Sans flashing them a grin before his hands slipped around to Frisk's back and pulled them down into a kiss. It began slowly, but grew deeper and more heated when Frisk's own hands began to explore across Sans' dark skin. Their fingers hesitated only once on the long scar that stretched across Sans' torso, and Sans' own fingers rose to the scar on the left side of Frisk's chest, an involuntary reaction that made Frisk lift their head and meet Sans' gaze. They were mismatched, the brown eye blind but unnoticeably so to others. It was the blue eye Frisk was interested in, and they found just what they expected. That blue eye was slowly turning a lovely mix of jade and lime green, giving off a dim glow.

Frisk smiled softly and Sans raised an eyebrow until Frisk leaned back in and Sans saw the glow reflected on their pale skin. "Heh… it's always you, isn't it…?"

"Always me?" Frisk asked, stealing one more kiss before Sans could answer.

"You're the one who does this to me more than anyone else ever has… Even Pap can't get the light to come out as often as you…"

"Well, I _am_ the light of your life." Frisk laughed quietly as Sans rolled his eyes, but the green light grew just a little brighter.

"God, now I know how Pap feels when I do that…"

"Oh, just enjoy it, Sansy." Frisk caught him up in another kiss and soon pulled Sans back into that lovely haze. Frisk eventually found Sans pushing them back and trapping them playfully against the sheets, taking over the way he liked to do whenever he was particularly comfortable and happy. Frisk just enjoyed it and gave him control once Sans tugged away their boxers, ever the willing recipient of Sans' once-tentative love and affection.

…

Come late morning, Frisk finally sat up with a deep sigh, rubbing their eyes with the back of one hand while the other held them up. They glanced down to find the other half of the bed empty, and their brows furrowed in confusion. Sans almost never got up before them. He liked to stay and hold Frisk as long as he could, and just be lazy. Finding Sans' phone gone from the nightstand and his lounge pants discarded in the hamper, Frisk was a bit concerned.

Pulling on some fresh boxers, slim jeans and a black tanktop, Frisk wandered out of their room to find Sans sitting at the little kitchen table with his phone to his ear and a pen and notepad before him. He was wearing his glasses, usually hidden away inside his hoodie. Frisk paused to listen for a moment.

"Mhm… yeah, sounds like the R-Block capacitors are fried. Shut off the main charger for the block and get them replaced. Shouldn't effect S through Z's charging."

Frisk sighed silently. It was someone from the CORE, asking Sans for his help. That meant Dr. Aria and Dr. Gaster weren't around. Sans had helped expand the CORE in his twenties thanks to his being one of only few people who understood Gaster's work. Now whenever something went wrong and the main CORE designers couldn't be reached for advice, the maintenance supervisors called Sans.

Frisk quietly made their way into the kitchen to get a drink, Sans glancing at them as they passed. "… Yeah, shut off the block and let me know if that helps. If not, it isn't the capacitors. It's either the block chargers or the cables in between. If all the other blocks are charging just fine, then it isn't the relays… Yeah, I'll keep my phone on me. If it's just the capacitors, just text me. If it's something else, call me back and I'll guide you through the check… No problem, Hane, I keep my number in the CORE files for a reason. Just make sure you tell Aria and Dad when they get back. Talk to you later. Bye."

Sans hit the red 'end call' button on his smartphone screen and put it and his glasses down on the table before letting his head rest in his hands. "What the fuck is going on…?" Sans whispered to himself as he stared down at his notepad. There were two whole years of notes about breakdowns and problems that had arisen in the CORE. None of it made sense. Brand new machines would receive energy surges that wouldn't effect other machinery around them, not even those along the same cables. Whole rows of capacitors would go out, except for the first in the row. Pipes would burst as if over-pressurized despite all gauges reading normal, safe pressure. Cable jackets would be found melted despite the line being inactive. If Sans didn't know better, he'd say someone was doing it to mess with the CORE. But security cameras never caught footage of anyone sabotaging machinery.

A mug appeared before Sans, steaming with fresh coffee, and he realized he'd been sitting there racking his brains for a whole twenty minutes. He looked up to see Frisk holding their own mug, watching him worriedly.

"Morning, babe," Sans murmured with a weak grin, though he knew his smile wouldn't hide anything. Frisk set down their coffee and sat down across from Sans.

"Hane again?"

"Yeah… uh… a bank of capacitors went out. Nothing crazy. Sounds like a surge."

"Aren't there surge protectors?"

"A really big, industrial version, yeah… but there should never _be_ a surge. The CORE creates electricity at a set rate. If there was a surge… that would've meant someone ramped up production, and that would've fried everything, not just one bank…"

"Are they just old, then?"

"No. Block R was replaced last October. Each block is meant to be replaced every five years. And unless the manufacturing team made a mistake- which Dad would've caught because he inspects every new bank- there's no reason for it to have died like that… Shit, just last month Block D outright blew up when it was drained and disconnected, nearly killed the guy replacing cables. That's… God, that's practically impossible… I still don't know how it happened…"

"… Do you have any theories?"

"None that make any goddamned sense when applied to logic."

"What about your Dad?"

"I don't know… Haven't talked to him since November. Block D blew up the day after Christmas when Dad was out of the country."

"You haven't talked to your father in two months?"

"We have nothing to talk about," Sans answered a little too aggressively, making Frisk go silent. They'd unconsciously tensed up and drawn their hands back. Sans' intense gaze softened and he reached across to lay a calloused hand on Frisk's. "I'm sorry, babe… I-"

"I know. You don't like thinking about him." Frisk took his hand in both their own. "From all you've told me… I don't blame either of you for not wanting to talk to or about each other."

"I should, though… Ma would kill us if she knew we didn't even spend holidays with him anymore…"

"It's not entirely your fault. He never takes time off for anything anyway. I think even if you asked, he'd make an excuse."

"Likely… but… I could at least try, y'know…? I'm just not looking forward to the awkward silence and the small talk."

"I could come with you, if you ever got him to agree to dinner."

"I don't wanna make you go through the torture either."

"He might be more willing to start talking to me. I don't want to mediate, because it's not my business to make him get along with you, but I could establish a little common ground that doesn't have to do with the CORE. Something less troubling, maybe."

"Actually… that's not a bad idea…" Sans sighed. "If I ever talk him into it, I might take you up on the offer."

Frisk let their fingers trace Sans' rough knuckles, offering him a smile. "You don't have to dread it so much, Sans. He's your father and he cares. It might take a little digging to bring that out again, but… just like you, he's carrying a lot on his shoulders- past, present, and future. Just be patient and understanding. He's just as scarred as you are, if only a little more on the outside."

"How are you always so nice?" Sans asked quietly, tilting his head as a little grin came to his lips. "You have this uncanny knack for making peace."

"Experience, mostly," Frisk answered simply. They didn't elaborate even when Sans raised an eyebrow. Frisk never did explain those sorts of things.

"Babe… are you ever gonna tell me?" Sans asked quietly, and Frisk's gaze drifted down to their hands.

"Maybe one day… you already know part of it, but… there's some things I'm still coming to terms with myself."

"… Okay." Sans didn't push. Frisk didn't keep many secrets from him, but those they did were difficult and, whenever they did share one, Sans was always floored by their capacity for taking abuse and hatred while remaining gentle and pacifistic.

Frisk eventually glanced to Sans' phone on the table, the lock screen displaying 11:03am. "Don't you have to work today…?"

"Yeah, not til five, though."

"Why so late?"

"Undyne had someone cover my usual time, but no one can be on til midnight. Then tomorrow it'll get back to the usual nine to five." Sans stood up from his chair and caressed Frisk's cheek as he passed by. "You want leftovers for breakfast or an omelet?"

"You can take the leftovers for dinner at work." Frisk stood and followed, opening up the fridge to get the eggs and some odds and ends to chop up and throw in, like ham and some spring onions and cheese. "Do you want anything else?"

"Got any potatoes around?" Sans asked as he pulled out a large skillet from under a counter.

"In the pantry."

Sans fetched a few potatoes out from the tiny closet pantry and a second pan, pulling out a chef's knife from the wooden knife block on the counter and a wooden cutting board. Frisk filled a small bowl with water for the potatoes to soak, and began cooking up the ham while Sans chopped the potatoes.

It was all so… normal. Sans had always known a home life with Papyrus, but he'd never really thought about what it'd be like with a partner. As brothers, Papyrus and Sans had generally let the other live as they pleased, like roommates, once Papyrus was old enough to have his own life outside their home. He had taken over most of the housework while Sans worked to support them both, but they had more evenly split the work now that they both had jobs. While Sans definitely brought in more money, Papyrus was earning enough in training to at least cover a quarter of the household costs and his own activities. Sans didn't mind paying for anything. While being a sentry wasn't incredibly profitable, Sans never spent much money anyway. He liked cheap things just by default.

With Frisk, things were a little different even though they weren't living together yet. Frisk was just as neat and efficient as Papyrus, but they didn't put up with Sans being too lazy. The upside of that was that they knew how to get Sans to get off the couch and do things, while Papyrus had never quite had that power. Beyond that, Sans often caught himself doing Frisk's laundry for them without being asked, or doing the dishes automatically after a meal, because… well, because Frisk would appreciate it. And that was all that mattered. Papyrus' happiness mattered too, but he was just too much fun to annoy. Frisk, on the other hand… Sans just loved to see them smile, and loved when they thanked him with a simple kiss and a hug. That was sometimes even better than the fantastic sex. Just feeling… appreciated. Frisk was never shy about how much they loved and appreciated Sans, while others would take those things for granted. It was great to feel useful again after Papyrus had grown up. Maybe that was it right there- feeling useful, and being loved beyond what family could provide.


	9. Jet Lag Pt5

"Block R? What's this about Block R?"

"We replaced the capacitor bank, sir."

"Why wasn't I notified about this?!"

"We tried to call you, Doctor. Your phone went straight to voicemail. The same with Dr. Aria."

"… Who _did_ you call, then?"

"Your son, sir."

"… I suppose that's… alright. Back to work, gentlemen. We need to figure out what happened…"

"Yes, sir."

…

 **January 19** **th** **, 213X**

…

Dr. William Drager Gaster was finally back in his personal lab again, sitting in his personal office, in his own personal space. That was what he'd missed most about being away. It had been nothing but a straight week of dealing with politicians and self-righteous scientists from other countries, constantly rushed into dinner parties and brunch and other people's laboratories and onto crowded flights. It was nice to have elbow room again, to be in a space that no one else could just waltz into unannounced.

"Dr. Gaster?"

Well… almost no one. Gaster sighed, spinning his desk chair ninety degrees to see the familiar pixie cut blonde hair of his closest partner, Dr. Aria Carter. She adjusted her squared glasses on her small, pointed nose and clutched a clipboard close to her chest. Gaster hadn't gotten to see much of her during their time away. He was the famous Dr. Gaster, the creator of the CORE, and she was just the assistant according to the rest of the world. Little did they all know, she was the reason the CORE operated at all. Gaster was the designer and the inventor and the experimenter. Aria was the one who made sure everything he made kept running smoothly. And that was just their professional lives.

"Aria," Gaster murmured, leaning back in his chair. There was no need to be formal around her anymore. They'd known each other for more than thirty years, having met in school while Gaster was designing the CORE, and having become true partners as parts of the CORE were built over the course of twenty-seven years. Aria would manage what was functional while Gaster designed and oversaw construction of each new piece.

"I know you probably just want to pick up paperwork and go home, but… I wanted to bring something to your attention."

"I have plenty of time. I'll be here until six."

"But Doctor… you ought to go home… and at least take a couple days, if only for the jet lag."

"No. Too much is going wrong around here. I can't afford a vacation."

"Sir... I-"

"Why do you still call me that?" Gaster asked softly as he stood and faced her. The much shorter blonde stopped short and gazed up at his one emerald eye, the other long gone thanks to an accident in the CORE so long ago.

"W-what…?" Aria stammered. She hated that her stutter would come out in front of him. No one else could make it come out unless she was terribly nervous. She had worked hard to get rid of it.

"You still call me 'sir,' and 'Doctor.' You know you don't have to when we're alone."

"Sorry… force of habit…" Aria's gaze fell to the floor and she wondered why indeed she hadn't broken the habit yet. It'd been two whole months-

Gaster's hands on her shoulders made the blonde look up, just in time for Gaster to press a kiss to her lips. Her face flushed bright red, still unused to the sensation of warmth and the shivers that ran down her spine. God, he was a fantastic kisser, even when it was just a simple, warm peck like this.

Aria felt her knees quake when he pulled back and she was left staring up at him quite dreamily. The tiny, amused smile that curled his lips made her lock her knees to avoid them giving out. She was still in that terrible head-over-heels phase, while he had been cool and calm from the very moment she'd gotten up the courage to finally ask him out to dinner not as coworkers, but as a proper date. And then he'd taken her out on a lovely stroll at the foot of Mount Under, and she was hooked for good. As if his intelligence and decisiveness and handsome-though-scarred looks weren't enough, he'd proven to be a perfectly lovely gentleman and he'd treated her like a lady in a way that no one had since her late husband.

As Gaster watched her try to process everything, she heard a deep, short chuckle. "You're terribly adorable, Aria." That made her flush even darker. Oh, god, why adorable? Why couldn't she be something more… mature? She was almost fifty, for crying out loud! Her 'adorable' and giggly schoolgirl days should've been done in her twenties!

"Uh… um… thanks…" she murmured, unable to look at him again until he leaned down once more to embrace her for a long moment. He normally wasn't affectionate at all when they were at the lab, so Aria was caught even more off-guard. "William…?" she asked softly, keeping her clipboard clutched close while her free arm slowly wrapped around his middle. Gaster took a deep breath and finally pulled back, smoothing his short black hair back and scratching his unkempt beard. He hadn't had the means to trim it or shave the stubble on his face for about two days. Aria… kind of liked the look of it.

"I apologize… I… missed that…" Gaster admitted quietly. He rarely, if ever, admitted such emotional things. But being around other professionals for more than a week and unable to show Aria any affection when he was near her, had left him feeling a bit lonely even if he liked to pretend he was fine alone.

"Me… me too," Aria offered in return, wanting to reassure him that it was normal and absolutely alright by her.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to spend any time together… I thought it would be too forward to share a room with you at the hotels."

"You probably would've gotten sick of me anyway," Aria dismissed the notion with a quiet, nervous laugh.

"I doubt that," Gaster murmured and she paused. "We've known each other for decades, Aria. And yet you still intrigue me."

That made Aria stare up at him in astonishment. She felt… incredibly giddy all of a sudden. She'd forgotten what it felt like to get excited about her significant other actually being interested in her and what she did. She'd been a widow for nearly ten years, her dear, sweet husband Stavros having died of cancer despite their daughter Alphys' best efforts to save him.

"Aria?" Gaster asked softly, and Aria realized she'd been staring in silence for about ten whole seconds.

"S-s… sorry," Aria stepped a little closer to lay her head on his chest, using it as an excuse to hide her blushing face. "It's just… all new again. You know?"

"I know… I haven't dated anyone at all in the past fifteen years. I'm just working off memory at this point."

"You never dated anyone else?" Aria asked softly, wrapping both arms around him now and looking up in curiosity.

"I never even considered it at all, even if Asgore suggested it a few times… I think he gave up about seven years back." Gaster met her gaze. "What about you?"

"I've… had a couple boyfriends… but I made the mistake of looking for another Stavros… that, or the men who were interested were just… boring. They couldn't challenge my mind like… well, like you."

Gaster chuckled again and Aria was amazed that he was being so expressive. Perhaps he was just tired and his usual unemotional ways were failing. But he was never as lively as he'd once been over fifteen years ago. He never would be again, Aria knew. But she still liked the Gaster that was left. He was too serious, a workaholic, and a silent sweetheart that cared about her day-to-day life in his own quiet way.

"Why don't we finish up here… and we'll go out to dinner," Gaster suggested softly. "I suppose I could take tonight off at the very least." Aria couldn't help a wide smile. Perhaps she could charm him into taking a break. It was a difficult task, making William Gaster relax, but Aria was determined if only for the sake of his health. The CORE could wait.

…

Oh god. Oh god. Aria could barely breathe as she found herself standing in the bathroom in just a tank top and underwear. She stared at herself in the mirror over the sink and swallowed hard against the nervous lump in her throat. _William is waiting_ , she told herself, trying to get up the courage to open the door and step back into her bedroom where Gaster was surely still sitting on the edge of her bed shirtless. He had been so lovely and gentle all that evening, that she'd let go of her inhibitions about getting closer to him. And after two glasses of wine each, they were both lightly buzzed. Their judgement wasn't skewed at all, but the warmth of the alcohol and the lovely dinner where everything had gone perfectly right… Aria had asked him to come inside when he'd brought her home.

She could still smell the scent of coffee drifting through the house. It had been her excuse, inviting him in for a cup or two to combat the alcohol and make sure he stayed awake on his drive home. She'd never actually drank any coffee herself, but she could still taste it from the moment he'd set aside his cup and took her in his arms for a passionate kiss. And now here she was… nearly bare… about to go to bed… with a man… for the first time in over ten years.

She slowly removed her glasses, setting them beside the sink, and she felt her heart racing like she'd just been terrified out of her wits and ran a mile in a minute. Her hands were trembling slightly, and it wasn't until she looked into the mirror again that she gasped and froze to see Gaster standing there right behind her. Before she could turn around, his lean, long arms wrapped around her curvy waist and she finally let herself exhale.

"Nervous?" He asked in that neutral, deep tone. Anyone who didn't know him would think it was emotionless, but Aria could detect the warmth and care that he had such a hard time showing.

"Uh… y-yes… I mean, a little…" Aria told him honestly, her hands settling over his. "It… it's been a long, long time…"

"Neither of us have touched another person since our spouses," Gaster murmured before leaning down and letting his forehead press to her shoulder. "I'm… somewhat nervous myself." Aria watched him in the mirror as he let out a deep sigh, his scarred, bare shoulders rising and falling in time with his breath.

"The great Dr. William Gaster is nervous?" Aria asked softly, finding the courage to tease him just a little, and that courage was rewarded with a warm, low laugh.

"I could ask the same of the brilliant Dr. Aria Carter." She felt a shiver race down her spine when his lips touched to her shoulder and she instinctively lifted a hand to comb back through his black hair. It felt so… natural to do that again.

"I don't mind admitting I've been absolutely shaking with nerves. I still am…" she murmured, and Gaster held her just a little tighter.

"You know you're allowed to back out, don't you?" he asked, and she nodded, leaning her head over to rest against his as she grew more comfortable.

"I never felt like I was trapped, William. I feel safe with you. Just… stage fright, you know?"

"I know," Gaster glanced up into the mirror, his dark green eye looking over the two of them. They were a strange match, really. The top of her head only came up to the base of his neck, and he was tall and thin while she was short and a healthy, curvy shape that hid the power she held in her limbs from years of working with heavy machinery and working with her hands. Her hair was a lovely pixie cut, shorter on the sides, and bright blonde with tiny bits of silver here and there. Her face was round but with a pointed chin and nose, and she had warm brown eyes that told of a deep capacity to love, but also a great intelligence. Gaster, on the other hand, had dark, very short hair and a beard lining his jaw- both flecked with silver, especially around his temples- but he never kept a moustache. His features were sharp and square for the most part, and his one eye was a deep emerald that was so often devoid of emotion even when he was being kind. Warmth didn't come to his expression often, but Aria knew the tiny indicators between contentedness and his usual neutral, even permanently annoyed state.

Aria finally took his hand and turned to face him, looking up at his handsome, slightly-gaunt face. "Come on. I think we both owe it to ourselves to have a little fun… right?"

"If not myself, then you certainly deserve it," Gaster murmured, making her blush slightly.

"Don't leave yourself out too much, William…" Aria murmured, feeling just a little naughty as she added, "I'd like to see what it looks like when you're having fun too." He could only chuckle, letting her pull him out of the bathroom and toward her bed. He felt… younger. More alive. And he was willing to share that with his dear partner.


	10. Friends with Benefits 0827210X Pre4

" _Aaah_ , Sans! Baby, please!"

…

 **August 27** **th** **, 210X**

…

 _Chiiiing. Ringringring._ Sans stopped short hearing his phone ring, his grip loosening on the leather belt binding his partner's wrists. It was Papyrus' ringtone. He looked over at the lit up screen on the nightstand, but his attention was pulled back by a voice above him. "Let it ring, honey…" Mettaton moaned, but Sans knew he couldn't.

"Sorry, babe…" Sans murmured, pulling the younger man down for a quick but heated kiss. He reached out to pick up his phone while Mettaton sat back with a huff. "Hey, Pap," Sans greeted after he hit the green 'answer' button.

 _"Brother! I know you said you'd be busy tonight, but I need some help."_

"What with, bro?" Sans had to bite back a grunt when Mettaton grew impatient and decided he wasn't about to be denied or left waiting. Sans' free hand grabbed Mettaton's hip roughly, bruising the pale skin as he attempted to still his partner. "M," Sans growled away from the phone.

 _"What was that?"_

"Noth- gh… nothing, bro. What do you need?"

 _"How do I fix a blown fuse? The storm made the power go out."_

"You at th-the fuse box…?"

 _"Yes!"_

"Okay, there oughta b-be a-" Sans had to stop as Mettaton leaned down and bit his neck. Sans' fingernails dug into the younger man's hip in reaction, his back arching involuntarily. "… Oughta be a switch in th-the 'off' position. Just f-flip it back on."

 _"Aha! Perfect! Thank you, brother."_

"Yeah, no prob-… problem…" Sans pulled the phone away before he gasped sharply at a shift in Mettaton's hips that made a tremor run up both their spines.

 _"Sans? Are you alright? You sound like you're… in pain."_

"Nah, no, I'm good," Sans answered quickly. "Just distracted. H-helping Mettaton… move some stuff."

 _"If you say so… tell him I said hello! I'll let you get back to work. I can't believe he got you to stop being so lazy!"_

"Heh… he has his- agh! … his ways… But he's a pain in the ass…" Sans glared down at Mettaton's seductive smirk.

 _"It sounds like you're working very hard! Perhaps you'll finally sleep well!"_

"Yeah, probably… See you, Pap."

 _"Bye!"_

Sans practically threw the phone after Papyrus hung up, the heavy smartphone thumping on the rug at the side of the bed while both of Sans' hands gripped Mettaton's hips. "You are so fucked," Sans growled darkly, and that made Mettaton bite him again to draw a sharp groan from the burly man's lips.

"I think we both are, gorgeous," Mettaton murmured in that musical tone. "Oh!" Sans unbound his wrists and flipped him over in one smooth motion. Mettaton would need his hands to hold on for dear life. Sans was out for revenge.

…

…

…

"Jesus Christ, Sans," Mettaton panted, tightly pinned to the sheets beneath his collapsed lover, Sans' broad arms wrapped around him as if Mettaton was his last anchor in the aftermath of the high. "I should piss you off like that more often…" Sans was in too much of a haze to answer beyond an annoyed grunt, and Mettaton chuckled softly. He lifted his hands from Sans' waist to caress his broad back and shoulders, one hand combing through his messy and short black hair. While Sans recovered, Mettaton glanced toward the bedroom door and saw their clothes scattered from the doorway to the bed. Mettaton had been unable to keep his hands off Sans that evening. It had taken ten minutes of teasing and coaxing to get Sans to take him to bed rather than just pinning him up against the living room wall and having his way. Sans had pulled off his own belt to bind Mettaton's wrists, subjecting him to the most lovely torture until he couldn't wait anymore.

"I hate you," Sans finally muttered against the younger man's chest. Mettaton was a whole foot taller than him, but much more slender, even curvy for a man. Sans was short for a man at only 5'3" but what he lacked in height he made up for in sheer muscle.

"And you can't resist me," Mettaton teased, drawing Sans up a little closer for a lovely, warm kiss.

"Mmm… I choose not to," Sans insisted, propping himself up on his elbows to look down at Mettaton when their lips parted. "And if you ever do that while I'm talking to Pap again, I'll break your hip."

"You've already dislocated my shoulder before," Mettaton giggled, and Sans flushed in embarrassment.

"I said I was sorry…" Sans muttered, his bravado failing to a bit of guilt, only for Mettaton to pull him back down again for another, much longer kiss that made Sans' mind go blank.

"It's okay, baby," Mettaton whispered when their lips were only a centimeter apart. "You know I like it rough."

"I'd rather not have to drive you to the hospital after every round," Sans sighed, unable to resist yet another kiss. Mettaton's lips were so soft and full, and always welcoming. In fact, that was Mettaton as a whole, not to mention a huge tease that liked to send Sans dirty texts while he was at work.

"I don't know about you," Mettaton murmured when they parted again. "But I'm not tired at all… How about a shower and a drink?"

"Sounds great to me." Sans slipped from the bed slowly, but before Mettaton could follow, Sans scooped him up with ease and made him squeak in surprise.

"Sans! I have legs…"

"If you can still feel them, I didn't do my job," Sans smirked down at him, and Mettaton laughed in that lovely feminine tone, wrapping his arms around Sans' thick neck.

"Oh, you did it very well, darling. I'm just very robust." Mettaton relaxed against Sans' chest, enjoying that Sans seemed to like to carry him around for no particular reason. It wasn't far to the bathroom in Mettaton's tiny apartment, and Sans set him down on the counter by the sink before turning on the shower. Both were already naked, so Mettaton silently slipped from the counter and pushed Sans into the shower while it was still just a little cold. Sans took in a sharp gasp at the feeling of cold water on his warm skin, whereas Mettaton was just fine. Sans was like a living furnace, which gave the always-cold Mettaton an extra excuse to cuddle up to him all the time.

"You-" Sans tried to be mad, but he was silenced by one of those drugging kisses that made him pause and forget about the cold. The water grew warmer, and Sans pressed Mettaton to the shower wall after sliding the curtain shut to keep water from getting on the tile floor. The height difference made Mettaton have to lean down to kiss Sans properly, but Mettaton didn't tease about it… too much.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to be so… short-tempered," Mettaton murmured against his lips, and that made Sans tilt his head back with a frustrated groan.

"Goddammit… now I know how Pap feels…" Mettaton let out a bell-like laugh and hugged him tightly.

"Serves you right, you torture that poor boy constantly." Mettaton pressed a kiss to his forehead and then watched as Sans' gaze began to wander between them. Sans was the sort of man to adore his lover's skin, but he was also rough on Mettaton, who liked that sort of thing. Mettaton regularly had bruises all over, but especially around his arms and hips and thighs. Occasionally he'd get a few on his neck too from bites and nips. Sans was the one who got the most, though, because Mettaton knew that, like himself, Sans was a bit of a masochist and he could take a lot more punishment. This particular time, Mettaton found he'd actually drawn blood on Sans' shoulder, and he could feel the ridges of long scratches all over Sans' back from his shoulders to his waist, and some on his hips. Mettaton had matching scratches on his hips and thighs and one across his stomach, and his bruises were in the shape of Sans' fingers. They had really outdone themselves this time.

"Sorry…" Sans finally murmured, making Mettaton raise a perfectly-shaped eyebrow.

"For what, honey?"

"Uh… all this…" Sans answered, his fingers trailing down Mettaton's scratched stomach.

"I did worse to you, Sans."

"Still… I always kinda feel bad, y'know? I've done some serious damage before…"

"My body can take all that raw power, baby. You're gentle where it matters most, and you're terribly sweet to me even when I'm in full-blown bitch mode after a rough day."

Sans looked up at him with some measure of surprise. The two had never actually confessed love for the other. They weren't really sure what their relationship was. 'Friends with benefits' seemed so cheap, but 'boyfriends' seemed too… serious. Sans liked to go to see Mettaton sing, and Mettaton liked to steal Sans away after one or the other was done with work. They had a lot of (often rough) sex and tended to order takeout at least once a week at Mettaton's apartment. There was no real 'dating' involved. Sans had taken Mettaton out to a few fancy dinners, but it just wasn't Sans' scene. And if Mettaton was honest, he too preferred ordering food and lazing around on the couch in an old t-shirt, Sans' head in his lap, talking until one dirty joke or comment led to a long make-out session and more sex. It was simple and just… nice. But there was something missing.

After a long shower occasionally interrupted by kisses and little touches, Sans and Mettaton finally emerged with damp hair and each in their choice of pajamas. For Sans, that was just dark lounge pants. For Mettaton, it was a tight black tanktop and boxer briefs. Mettaton gave Sans a little smile when they parted at the archway to the kitchen. Sans got into a cupboard under a counter for the vodka and gin and then into the fridge for strawberry grenadine and tonic water. Mettaton got out a shot-glass and two black-tinted glasses, grabbing ice from the freezer on his way after Sans.

Sans set everything down and Mettaton let him make the drinks. Sans had left the sentry profession for five years when jobs were slim, and he'd been a bartender at a club in Echo where he and Mettaton had hooked up for the first time, occasionally seeking the other out again when they grew lonely. About a year back, they'd decided to just stick together for a while. There had been no spoken agreement, but it had been sealed when Mettaton gave Sans a copy of his apartment key.

Once Sans mixed up the vodka, tonic, and grenadine just the way Mettaton liked, he made his own tonic and gin and sat down beside the younger man quietly, draining half his glass at once. Mettaton sipped on his own, watching Sans set his glass down and stare toward the stove for a long moment. That blank stare only meant one thing: Sans was thinking about something troubling. Mettaton didn't like it, but he waited quietly for Sans to speak up. He would always listen, waiting for the rare occasions when Sans would open up.

"M…?" Sans asked quietly.

"Mhm?"

"… You seeing anyone?"

"What?" Mettaton set his glass down, watching Sans drain the rest of his own. "I mean… why would you think I am?"

"I don't. Just curious if anyone's caught your eye."

"Well… Other than you, no." Mettaton's brows furrowed in concern. This had been happening every so often since they'd hooked up that first time. But lately, Sans had been asking almost weekly if Mettaton had anyone else.

"Okay… just wondering."

"Sans. Do you… want me to find… someone else?" Mettaton asked softly, his heart squeezing just a little at the idea.

"I didn't say that."

"You've been asking a lot…"

"Oh,.. sorry. It's not that I want you to… y'know, go find someone else. But… well, we're not really… a thing, y'know? Are we?" But before Mettaton could answer, Sans shook his head. "Sorry, that sounds really fuckin' stupid."

"Baby, do you want to see someone else?" Mettaton finally asked, but Sans shook his head again with a sigh.

"No, I-… Ah, shit," Sans growled at himself. "It sounds like I don't want you, doesn't it? Fuck, I'm sorry…"

"No, darling. I'm just… confused. I suppose I'm as confused by… 'us' as you are. All we ever do is sleep together and follow each other like lost puppies…"

"What are we?" Sans asked the question that Mettaton had never quite had the courage to ask aloud. A long silence stretched between them, and Sans hated it. He distracted himself with making another drink, adding just a splash of grenadine this time to the gin and tonic.

"I don't know…" Mettaton answered finally when Sans downed the whole glass at once. That wasn't a good sign. Sans didn't drink like that normally. "I suppose… the real question is what we feel like."

"What do you mean?" Sans asked softly, glancing up with those mismatched brown and blue eyes.

"What do you feel for me?" Mettaton asked, and the blank look on Sans' face made his heart twinge painfully. "Do you… do you love me, Sans?"

"Yeah," Sans answered immediately, but Mettaton's expression made him stop short. "I… I mean… Well. We've known each other forever… We've always loved each other…"

"But is it the kind of love you want with a partner? A life partner, even?" That left Sans speechless and Mettaton sighed, looking down at his drink. It didn't seem very attractive or tasty anymore.

"Well… what do you feel about me?" Sans reversed the question, hoping to get something more concrete in return.

"I adore you, Sans. I love you so much it hurts sometimes," Mettaton admitted quietly, leaving Sans unable to speak again for a long time. "I first realized it when you came back around to see me again. It was a day after we hooked up after your shift at the club was over. I had a hangover, and you showed up at my door with a bunch of bad food from the taco place and you made me a smoothie and took care of me until I felt better… And I was caught, just like that. You were just being a good friend, like you've always been since we were teenagers. And you've helped me get over hangovers before… but that one time, I just got wrapped up and I wanted to keep you."

"I can't tell you how excited I was after I gave you my key and you were here waiting for me when I came home that first time. You made love to me all night and made me breakfast in the morning, then you fixed a bunch of things around my apartment and left with nothing in payment but a kiss. How could I not be absolutely head-over-heels with that?" Mettaton was spilling his soul to Sans for the first time. He'd always let Sans know his appreciation and adoration, but Mettaton had never actually told Sans he loved him.

As the silence stretched on, Mettaton's heart squeezed tighter and tighter in dread at what Sans would say in response. The worst possibilities were running through his head. Sans would be angry, or worse, walk out without a word and never come back. Mettaton felt tears brimming from sheer nerves and fear as Sans' expression slowly went from shock to something Mettaton didn't see often. His brows furrowed and he frowned down at his empty glass, his eyes half-closed in a way that seemed… sad. Depressed, even.

"M…" Mettaton didn't like that tone, and he steeled himself for imminent heartbreak. "I really care about you too…" Before Mettaton's tears could slip out, Sans shook his head. "Shit… I love you too. Way too much for my own good." The rollercoaster in his heart was going mad, because that was all he wanted to hear, but Sans' tone implied a 'but' that hurt more than anything Sans could've said out loud. "I… I'm not the guy you should want to attach yourself to. We're as far as we'll ever get. I just don't have it in me to be emotional. I always get nervous when you're upset, and I feel like I should be a comfort, but I just… I can't offer enough."

Mettaton hated that he knew what Sans meant. While he was a comfort, Sans could never bring himself to cry with Mettaton when things were falling apart, or spill his own emotions and issues to Mettaton in return. Sans understood Mettaton like no one else, but no one understood Sans that Mettaton knew of. He was so closed off, deeply depressed under that charismatic and lazy mask. He didn't want to open up, nor did he feel he had the ability.

"Listen…" Sans murmured. "The last thing I want is for us to… stop being us. Y'know what I mean? But… if you want a real boyfriend… maybe even a husband one day… I'm not the guy you want."

Mettaton felt like his heart was being pulled out of his chest, cut out just a little more with each word. But at the same time… there was a little relief. Sans was being completely honest and open with him. Sans wasn't hiding anything, reaching to an emotional level he rarely visited, all for Mettaton's sake. And with that honesty came the knowledge that Sans did love him deeply, and that they could keep being what they were until their true partners came along. Maybe Sans would find the person that made him willing to show weakness and sadness, and they would help him heal.

When Mettaton remained silent, Sans stood from his seat and stepped closer to wrap his arms around the younger man's shoulders. That opened the floodgates and Mettaton's tears came rolling down as his own arms held Sans' tightly. "Sorry…" Sans murmured, and Mettaton turned to face him and hug him as tightly as possible.

"Don't say that… Don't ever apologize for being honest…" Mettaton kissed his cheek and Sans buried his face against Mettaton's shoulder. "All I ever asked from you is that you be honest with me… and you always are. Thank you… And as much as it hurts… I know you love me if you let me go so I can be happy…"

"I wish I could be the one to give you everything you deserve, babe," Sans' voice came out muffled against Mettaton's skin. "I'm just not the right person… I don't know if I can ever be that kind of person to anyone. And you shouldn't have to wait around or be stuck with me."

"We're still sticking together, darling," Mettaton told him resolutely. "I made you a promise once when we were young… that I'd be here for you until you found the right woman. Or man. Or whoever, I still don't know what your preference is." Both chuckled at that. Sans had always claimed to be mostly straight, but that wasn't strictly true anymore. "I'll still be here for you, until we're both swept off our feet by wonderful people and we can have lunch together gushing about them and wondering how we ever managed without them."

When Sans lifted his head, Mettaton pulled back to meet his gaze. His heart broke all over again as Sans' smile faded slowly, and he asked a difficult question. "Then… does that mean this is over…?"

"No, honey," Mettaton murmured. "This doesn't have to be over until one of us is ready to go on and see someone else. And even then, we'll be there for each other for the inevitable heartbreaks and to swoop in and save each other from bad dates and assholes. But until then… I'd like to stay with you, if only for the sake of not having to sleep on my own when I get lonely…"

"I'll stick around, then…" Sans murmured, lifting a hand to Mettaton's cheek, watching the younger man lean his head into the touch and close his eyes. "I might get lonely too…"

When Mettaton's strange amethyst eyes opened again, Sans gave him a charming little grin though his expression let on his broken heart. Mettaton finally stood from his chair and hugged Sans closer, sharing a slow, sweet kiss with him that seemed to seal the deal. They'd stick together, keep each other company and warm one another's beds when things got too lonely, and they'd see each other off to their proper partners. Heartbroken or not, things seemed a little brighter for Mettaton, and Sans felt awful yet much better. Mettaton was free to find a man who'd love him like no other. Sans didn't bother hoping for the same for himself, but he let Mettaton hope for him.


	11. The Stage Pt6

_"My life flashed before my eyes! Razor blade lips and daggers up in your eyes! Baby, your love is a crime- danger by day, but you're evil in the night!"_

"Wow…"

…

 **February 1** **st** **, 213X**

…

"Thank you very much," Papyrus said with a bright smile to the bartender as she left a can of orange Fanta before him. His amber gaze soon returned to the stage to his left, where a tall, slender man with slightly feminine curves and a gorgeous face and a perfectly-shaped mop of black hair sang and swung his hips in time with the beat while seemingly dancing with the microphone stand. He tossed his hair and Papyrus heard a few whoops and hollers when the performer fixed the audience before him with a sexy smirk and a piercing gaze from his strange amethyst eyes, striking a pose. He belted out a perfect, sustained note a few lines later, earning more cheers and several people tossed bills up on the stage.

Papyrus had been a little put off, even a little jealous the first time the first time he'd come to see Mettaton perform when they'd started seeing each other. But now, he was excited that Mettaton was such a hit. It meant Mettaton made plenty of money- he lived mostly off tips, after all- and he would be requested back to perform again because it was so good for business. Sure, he was the opening act for a strip club's main show tonight, but it was a good gig and Mettaton himself didn't have to strip. Though, if Papyrus knew him at all, he'd probably tease the crowd by ripping his shirt off just for fun.

And just as Papyrus expected, the tight-fitting magenta tank top came off right before the last line of the song.

 _"Bombs over Broadway, fire in the sky!"_ The club exploded with applause and Mettaton flung his shirt toward a particularly loud table, a kiss blown in their direction for effect as the last notes of music died. "Thank you all, darlings. I'll see you again soon, just look for my gorgeous face on the front door!" Mettaton left the microphone behind and a couple shirtless men in black jeans ran out to gather up all the money on the stage for him between acts. Papyrus was practically beaming watching Mettaton swing his hips as he went back up the catwalk. But before he could slip behind the curtains- just like every time Papyrus came to see him perform- Mettaton paused and his gaze settled on Papyrus at the bar, giving him a little wink and crooking a finger at him to come to his dressing room.

Papyrus took a drink from his soda and slipped from the barstool to scamper down the bar toward the door to the backstage area, flashing his ID and backstage pass to the bouncers on his way past. He trotted down the hall toward the door with a swirly star marked 'Guest Performer' with Mettaton's name hanging on a plaque underneath. But halfway down the hall, Papyrus stopped short so not to plow into a couple of the girls who usually performed in the club.

"Oh, hi, Papyrus," both said to him cheerily as they adjusted their corsets and costumes. Papyrus was so terribly innocent and completely naïve that they treated him like a little brother rather than a bothersome man creeping around backstage. "Is Mettaton's set over?"

"Yup!" Papyrus chirped. "He was really amazing, I wish you could've seen it! He sang one of those Adam Lambert songs!"

"Oh, his voice is perfect for those. We'll catch him on video later for sure." One of the girls kissed his cheek with a smile and they both headed the opposite way to finish getting ready. "Bye, Papy!"

"Bye, Dana! Bye, Piper!" Papyrus watched them go with his usual bright smile. It grew suddenly nervous when he felt familiar fingers catch the back of his belt, and a lean form press against his back. Perfect, slender arms snaked about his middle and cool hands with lovely, manicured nails in black pressed to his lower chest and dangerously low on his stomach. "H-Hi, Mettaton," Papyrus stammered, feeling a heat creep into his cheeks that only grew hotter when two black-painted lips pressed to his neck and left a perfect lipstick print.

"Hello, darling," Mettaton purred, his chin resting on Papyrus' shoulder while his fingers gently skimmed over the fabric of Papyrus' black turtleneck under his brown leather coat, leaving little tingling trails on Papyrus' skin beneath. "Come join me." Mettaton's fingers caught the edge of the jacket, and he pulled Papyrus along toward the dressing room. He was still shirtless, Papyrus realized with wide eyes. While he'd seen Mettaton in just swim shorts before, he'd only rarely been up this close while Mettaton was so lightly clad. Normally Mettaton was performing when he was shirtless or even nearly naked, aside from the few times they'd gone swimming. Mettaton wasn't a stripper, he was a singer. But he liked to wow the audience and he knew he looked damned good.

Once the door was shut behind them, Papyrus raked a hand back through his slightly-shaggy, short black hair. "Uh-" His dark amber eyes grew wide when Mettaton turned around and suddenly kissed him like their lives depended on it. Before Papyrus could even think to lean into the kiss and wrap his arms around Mettaton, the older man pulled back with a smirk and a little lick of his own black lips, and Papyrus was left staring and speechless.

"Did you like the show, baby?" Mettaton asked, wandering toward his makeup chair and picking up a hairbrush even though his gorgeous black hair was already perfect.

"Uh… um… y-yeah. Yeah, it was great," Papyrus answered, slowly getting his chipper attitude back through the shock. "You really got them tonight. They went absolutely wild!"

"Oh, thank you, honey." Mettaton smiled at him in the large mirror before picking up a makeup wipe to fix a little smudge of lipstick. "I'm done for tonight, no closing number. Have you eaten?"

"Just some fries at the bar," Papyrus shrugged.

"Good, because I'm starving and I want to take you to a place out on Halverson Boulevard. It's got fantastic seafood, and a lobster alfredo to die for."

"Great! Do you want me to go warm up the car?" Papyrus asked, ever the eager gentleman.

"I've got to get my money and I'll meet you out there, okay?" Mettaton turned in his chair. "But I wanted you to come in because I got you something."

"Something for me?" Papyrus tilted his head. Oh, he was just so cute, Mettaton thought.

"Of course. It's a little bit of a gift for me too, but I think you'll like it." Mettaton leaned down to pull a shopping bag out from under the makeup table. " Take off your jacket and close your eyes, Papy."

"Uh… okay!" Papyrus shrugged off his jacket and hung it on a hook on the wall beside Mettaton's wool coat, closing his eyes before facing Mettaton again with a big, goofy grin.

Papyrus felt Mettaton take his arm, guiding it into a sleeve of some kind of jacket, and then the other. Mettaton fiddled with the sleeves and collar and buttons on the front for a few seconds before guiding him toward the mirror. "Okay, open!"

Papyrus opened his warm amber eyes and gasped to see a handsome double-breasted black wool coat. It ended about mid-thigh, was nice and slim to fit to Papyrus' lean and powerful body, and the collar was high on his neck, making his shoulders look even more robust and angular than they already were. "Wow…" was all he could say.

"I remember how much you liked mine, and you said you wished you could have one like it. I couldn't find the same brand in your size, so I asked Toriel if she could alter a different one to fit you." Mettaton grinned into the mirror, loving the way it made Papyrus look so sharp and handsome- more so than he already was.

"Really? Wow… I didn't think you'd remember something so simple like that." Papyrus turned to face Mettaton, tucking his hands into the pockets with a huge grin.

"Of course I remembered. You remember little things like that all the time for me. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it." Mettaton smirked at the opportunity before him and took it, tangling his fingers in the angular lapels and pulling Papyrus into another kiss. Papyrus' hands came back out of the pockets, his arms slowly wrapping around Mettaton's bare midriff. "Mmm…" Mettaton hummed, pulling back to give Papyrus a devilish little smile. "You taste almost as good as you look, Papy dear."

Papyrus chuckled nervously, his cheeks flushing again. "It's just orange soda…"

"You always taste lovely," Mettaton assured him, leaning in for another kiss and draping his arms over Papyrus' broad shoulders. When Papyrus couldn't bring himself to pull back from the kiss again, Mettaton welcomed him to stay as long as he liked, pressing in tightly until their hips were flush together and Papyrus tensed with nerves. He was so innocent, so terribly cute… so very handsome and alluring, and he didn't even know it.

When Mettaton finally pulled back for Papyrus' sake, realizing the younger man had forgotten to breathe, both chuckled and held each other a little tighter. Papyrus nuzzled against Mettaton's neck and breathed in the sweet, faint perfume still left on his skin. "You taste nice too…" Papyrus dared to murmur, and Mettaton's fingers laced through Papyrus' short black hair in appreciation.

"I try my best to stay appetizing to you, dearest."

"You'd have to try pretty hard to not be attractive to me," Papyrus told him with such honesty that Mettaton's heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, you absolute gem, you're so sweet…" Mettaton pressed a kiss to his neck and finally pulled away. "But before you charm me out of my good sense, I'm starving. Go on outside and I'll meet you at the car."

"Okay, I'll bring it up to the door." Papyrus gave him a cheery smile, but before he could grab his leather jacket and open the door, Mettaton caught his collar for one last kiss, and finally sent him along.

Papyrus skittered outside and started up Mettaton's sleek black Mercedes, flipping on the heat to warm the cold interior and defrost the windshield. After a good five minutes of skipping around the radio and finding a couple good songs, Papyrus saw Mettaton emerge from the club in a navy ribbed sweater and slim black jeans and his favorite harness boots. He was just pulling his coat on and adjusting it on his shoulders when another, taller man came out of the club behind him. Papyrus couldn't hear what passed between the two, but he could tell the man had given Mettaton a compliment by how Mettaton put on a kind smile and thanked him. But the man didn't leave right away. He continued to speak and Mettaton remained polite until the man took a step toward him. Papyrus was out of the car the moment Mettaton edged backward and the man kept advancing.

"Hello!" Papyrus said with a bright smile to the man. "Are you a friend of Mettaton's?"

"Uh…" The man fixed Papyrus with a confused look until Papyrus stepped between Mettaton and the stranger. "Excuse me, we were talking."

"We were just saying goodbye," Mettaton corrected him, trying to remain cool and calm.

"I had a couple more questions for ya, beauti-"

"I'm sure I could answer anything you're curious about. But I'm sure Mettaton's getting a little chilly. Why don't you get into the car, dear?" Papyrus asked Mettaton, his expression remaining bright and happy. Mettaton slowly stepped back and he opened the car door, getting in quickly once he saw the stranger take another step and Papyrus calmly place a hand on the man's chest to stop him.

Mettaton cracked the window just the slightest bit to hear them, but he'd hit the door locks too. Papyrus held his ground, and Mettaton saw a change in Papyrus that was… unsettling. He leaned forward slightly, looking up at the man with an even wider grin from under his handsome brows. "Now… what did you want to ask?" He asked slowly, and the tone of his voice made Mettaton shiver. It felt… dangerous. "Not to be rude, but Mr. Taylor is rather busy."

"Listen, buddy, I don't want any trouble-"

"Neither do I, friend. I have a dinner date to get you, and I believe you have to get home, don't you?"

"Uh… yeah. Yeah, I do."

"Better hurry along, then."

"Yeah… yeah, I should…" The stranger backed away and Papyrus watched him go, hands planted on his hips still in a friendly and open posture. But his dark smile was all the stranger needed to turn around and quickly walk away. Once the man disappeared from view, Papyrus straightened his new coat and walked back around to the driver's side of the Mercedes, Mettaton unlocking the door for him with a press of the electric switch.

Papyrus slipped into the leather seat and fastened the seatbelt, his smile bright and happy and innocent again. Mettaton was left staring at him, lost, until Papyrus glanced over and chuckled, reaching across Mettaton's chest to pull the seatbelt across, fastening it for him. "Yes?" Papyrus asked, and Mettaton was just floored at how quickly Papyrus had gone from chipper to threatening and back to chipper again.

"What was… that?" Mettaton murmured, and Papyrus raised an eyebrow.

"What was what?"

"That little… altercation. What happened to you?"

"Nothing. I just talked that nice gentleman into going along on his way and leaving you be. You _are_ very busy, after all." Papyrus put the car in drive and steered out of the lot onto the streets of New Home. "Where was that restaurant?"

"Um… H-Halverson."

"That's off Bridge, right?"

"Yes…"

Papyrus glanced briefly at Mettaton as the car smoothly glided down the slushy Roan Avenue. "Are you okay? You seem a little confused. Did that man scare you?"

"He made me a little nervous, but… You came right to my rescue." Mettaton gave him a little smile. "I didn't know you could be so intimidating."

"Well… you know I don't like to fight. So one of the first things Undyne ever taught me was how to avoid fights. Intimidation works when redirecting doesn't, most of the time. So when he wasn't put off by me getting between you two, I knew I needed to be a little more authoritative."

"I think I like seeing that dark and dangerous side," Mettaton teased, rewarded by yet another blush from his incredibly innocent boyfriend. "You're always so happy and adorable. I guess I didn't believe you could be so… forceful." He reached out a hand to lay on Papyrus' knee, and Papyrus chuckled nervously.

"Please, Mettaton, not while I'm driving."

"You know I have a hard time keeping to myself when you charm me."

"At least until the car is in park again," Papyrus insisted with a little shake of his head, grinning to himself.

"Okay… I'm patient." Mettaton crossed his arms and then his legs, watching the road before them with a little smirk as Papyrus steered carefully over the ice and slush. He was such a good driver, Mettaton thought. Or perhaps he was just extra careful with Mettaton riding. Either way, he was a perfect gentleman at all times and Mettaton was endlessly impressed and smitten with the absolute goof next to him.

When the car came to a stop in a parking space near the restaurant, Papyrus barely got his seatbelt off before Mettaton crawled over the center console to straddle his lap and kiss him like there was no tomorrow. Papyrus froze on the spot, less from the kiss and more from the very intimate position they were suddenly in. He was startled when Mettaton reached down and pulled a lever on the side of the seat, making it tilt back suddenly until Mettaton was laying against Papyrus and kissing him again, completely overwhelming him with this new position.

Papyrus couldn't even think straight, his eyes eventually drifting closed and his large hands instinctively resting on Mettaton's lower back. When Papyrus pressed back into the kiss properly, taking over and surprising Mettaton, the slimmer man let out a soft moan against Papyrus' lips that sent shivers down his spine. Then just like that, Mettaton opened the car door and slipped out, leaving Papyrus completely shell-shocked and laying there tense and confused.

"Come on, darling," Mettaton said in that lovely bell-like tone, his dark head poking back into the car and into Papyrus' view.

"Yeah… I'm coming…" Papyrus sat up and pulled himself out, putting the seat back upright with a flick of the lever before shutting and locking the door. Mettaton was checking to make sure his lipstick wasn't smudged in the window reflection, and he soon reached into his coat pocket to pull out a little alcohol wipe. Upwrapping it, he dabbed at the corner of his mouth, then turned to wipe any lipstick from Papyrus' face and neck too.

"Can't have everyone knowing what we get up to," Mettaton murmured, smirking at the completely head-over-heels look in Papyrus' lovely dark amber eyes. He probably hadn't heard a word, too lost in a haze, but Mettaton didn't mind at all. "You're so cute when you're overwhelmed." Mettaton smoothed Papyrus' dark hair back affectionately, playing with his thin beard for a moment and then taking his arm to walk across the lot and into the restaurant. It was just the kind of evening Mettaton needed after a weekend of working in lounges and clubs and bars all over New Home and Echo.


	12. First Times Pt7

_"Yo, Pap! I don't care if you have fun with your boy toy, but keep it down!"_

…

 **February 5** **th** **, 213X**

…

Papyrus was blushing furiously, hiding his face in his pillow while Mettaton glared at the wall separating Papyrus and Sans' rooms. When he stood with a huff, Papyrus quickly followed. "No, no, Mettaton! It's okay, he-"

"I'm going to give him a piece of my mind, dammit," Mettaton growled, Papyrus following him out of the room and begging him to just come back to his room and ignore Sans. Mettaton marched right up to Sans' door and threw it open, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to one leg in a sassy pose that said he was not to be trifled with. He fixed Sans with a glare of his amethyst eyes, and those eyes narrowed seeing Sans' cheeky, lazy grin.

Sans was sprawled out on his bed in a grey tank top and baggy jeans, the vast muscle usually hidden by his sweater and hoodie now fully exposed and making Mettaton falter just a little. Sans had always been a beefcake, but Mettaton could swear he'd gotten even bigger since they'd broken their little 'friends with benefits' relationship off.

"Heh. Like what you see?" Sans asked, and Mettaton found himself blushing slightly. He hated that Sans could still flirt with him so easily. "But clearly you like something about Pap too."

"We weren't doing anything, you big dope. We were talking," Mettaton told him honestly with a huff of indignation, Papyrus behind him blushing even darker red than before.

"Sure you were."

"Sans."

"I know, I know. I just like to tease. You guys are so easy to rile up." Sans slowly rose from his bed and stretched, coming to stand before Mettaton. He was just a little too close, and Papyrus was close up behind too, and Mettaton's face turned completely red. Sans leaned in, Mettaton unable to retreat, and he whispered against Mettaton's ear, "Miss me yet, M?"

"Augh!" Mettaton shoved him away, turning to hide his face against the very confused Papyrus' chest. Only Sans knew Mettaton still absolutely had the hots for him despite being completely loyal to Papyrus. Sans laughed deeply, flopping into his desk chair.

"I can't believe you think I'm serious!" Sans teased, holding his stomach as he laughed and watched Mettaton try to hide in Papyrus' arms.

"Um… about what? Did I miss something?" Papyrus asked, and Mettaton fled the room outright.

"It's okay, Pap. Just a little fun on my part. Go make sure your boyfriend doesn't throw himself off a bridge in embarrassment," Sans told him, and Papyrus practically sprinted down the stairs.

"No, Mettaton, don't do it!" Sans heard Papyrus yell, and he snorted at Mettaton's response.

"I can't do this anymore! I'm gonna kill him!" There was a crash, slowly followed by laughter, and Sans knew everything was fine. He rolled his chair over to shut the door, then back to his desk to pick up his phone.

There was a text from Frisk, and Sans smiled out of habit at the sight of the little icon of Frisk's calm face. Tapping it with his thumb, it opened up the messaging app to reveal a little message.

 _Hey, babe. Busy tonight?_

Sans typed back a quick answer. _I'm not busy if you aren't._

Frisk's reply soon returned. _I've got a little project I could use your help with. Dinner on me if you can come over._

 _Dinner on you, or dinner ON you?_

 _Very cute. Maybe both if you hurry._

Sans chuckled at that, tapping back a quick ' _on my way_ ' before rising to grab his hoodie and socks and shoes. Once he was dressed, he packed his laptop and an extra change of clothes and some odds and ends into a backpack. Slinging it over his shoulder, he opened the door and headed downstairs. It was quiet, and he found out why when he stepped into the living room.

"Hey."

Mettaton and Papyrus froze, both looking up from where they were entangled on the cushions, Mettaton trapped beneath Papyrus' stronger and broader body.

"Uh… wh-where are you going, brother?" Papyrus asked nervously, quickly sitting up beside Mettaton.

"Gonna go play house with my own sweetheart. Try not to break the furniture while I'm gone."

"Sans!" Mettaton growled as the burly, older man chuckled and headed for the door. Opening it up to find the weather calm outside, Sans paused to look back.

"Oh, and, uh… Pap."

"Yes…?"

"There's a pack of condoms in my room. Mettaton knows where they are."

"SANS!" Both yelled at the same time, and Sans dodged out the door with a smirk before a flying remote could hit him.

Mettaton groaned in annoyance, flopping back on the cushions and willing the blush on his face to go away. Sans had always been able to get him flustered. Papyrus sat back on his knees looking a little lost and embarrassed himself at being caught making out by his older brother. "Sorry, Mettaton." He felt like he needed to apologize for… he didn't know what. Mettaton just reached up and snagged him by the t-shirt collar.

"Shut up and get back down here." Papyrus was tugged downward with a little squeak of surprise, right into another kiss that left him breathless as before Sans' interruption. Mettaton's annoyance at Sans came out in impatience, and Papyrus gasped feeling Mettaton tug at his belt, freeing the leather from the clasp.

"M-Mettaton…" Papyrus muttered in surprise, and found himself suddenly overturned and pinned to the couch cushions while Mettaton's fingers slipped beneath the orange t-shirt to skim over the powerful, lean muscle under Papyrus' dark skin. Another kiss silenced Papyrus and he couldn't help gripping Mettaton's waist, looking for some kind of anchor. This wasn't completely new, but they'd never gone much further than long periods spent kissing and cuddling, sometimes shirtless, either in bed or on the sofa. Papyrus wasn't a virgin, but he was by no means experienced. Mettaton, meanwhile, had been active regularly since he was seventeen, and it showed in the way he knew just how push Papyrus a little further each time things got heated, but he never pushed too far for the younger man's comfort.

"Papy darling…" Mettaton whispered and Papyrus shivered when his shirt was lifted and Mettaton began kissing down his lower chest and abs. When his slender fingers caught the waistband of Papyrus' jeans, Papyrus felt suddenly nervous, more so than ever before, and he reached out to take Mettaton's hands. The older man paused at the look of almost… fear. "Sweetheart?"

"I don't know if I'm ready yet," Papyrus admitted, somewhat shamefully. He and Mettaton had been dating regularly for nearly six months. Five months in, Mettaton had finally tried to advance things, but Papyrus had been too naïve to understand until Mettaton came right out and asked for sex. Papyrus had been floored, but had asked in return that Mettaton slowly guide him into the physical side of their relationship.

So, being a gentleman, Mettaton had accepted and every time he and Papyrus had time alone together, he pushed things just a little further. The last time, only a day before, Mettaton had gotten Papyrus to touch him and Mettaton had enjoyed each moment, guiding the younger man's hands expertly. But Papyrus hadn't been ready to receive it in return. Now faced with the possibility again, Papyrus was clamming up. As a man who valued his self-control deeply, letting someone else take over and make him lose himself was terrifying. That was why all three of Papyrus' previous relationships had failed.

Mettaton sat back on his knees to look down at Papyrus with some level of concern, considering all he knew about Papyrus' difficulty relaxing. "Do you think I'm going to hurt you, darling?" He asked softly, and Papyrus quickly shook his head.

N-no! No, I'd never think that! I just… you know… I'm… nervous. The idea of someone else having control over something… like that…"

"What if we work together?" Mettaton offered with a little smile. "And you can stop us anytime, honey."

"What do you mean 'together'?"

"I'll show you." Mettaton took Papyrus' hands, slowly guiding them toward the button and zipper of his jeans. "You lead. I'll follow… and help. All at your speed, okay?"

"Um… okay…" Papyrus felt just as nervous, but at least he was a little more comfortable unzipping his jeans in his own time, and he felt a little giddy when Mettaton grinned at the sight of the red boxer briefs that were soon revealed. Papyrus swallowed hard, but he felt a bit braver, even… excited. Mettaton would take care of him. He always had, just not in this way yet.

…

Sans was just coming up to the junction of the highways each leading to Mount Under, Echo, Snowdin, and Streamtown when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Letting the truck roll to a halt at the traffic light over the crossroads, Sans pulled out the smartphone and saw a text waiting from… his father. The light turned green, and he left the phone in a cup-holder to continue driving. Why was Gaster texting him? Gaster never talked to him. He usually talked to Papyrus and then the younger brother would relay any messages to Sans.

Sans left the text unopened until he pulled into the lot outside Frisk's apartment. Unbuckling his safety belt, Sans finally picked up the phone again and opened the text.

 _Are you busy today?_

Sans raised an eyebrow, typing back quickly. _Made some plans. Why?_

 _As you know, some strange things have been happening around the CORE. I would like to meet up with you and Dr. Aria and get your input._

 _I don't work there anymore, Dad._

 _I know that. But you're one of the few people who can intelligently discuss this with us and you know the makeup of the CORE almost as well as we do. We need to find out what's happening._

 _Are things getting dangerous?_

 _Not any more than the usual risks, but some of these readings in temperature and pressure and the freak accidents are leading us to believe something major could happen in the future._

 _Can we meet tomorrow, then?_

 _Of course. Whenever you're free. We'll be at the lab all day tomorrow._

 _Gotcha. I'll text you in the morning._

 _Thank you, son._

 _Sure thing._

Sans nearly jumped when he heard a light knock on his window, seeing Frisk standing there waiting for him. Frisk had come out to throw a bag in the dumpster, and had found Sans sitting there texting. Sans opened the door and stepped out, greeting Frisk with a kiss. "Hey, babe."

"Hi. What're you up to?" Frisk asked with a little smile.

"Eh, just the old man texting me, nothing big."

"He never texts you."

"Well… not _never_."

"Is it a secret, then?" Frisk could tell Sans was trying to avoid the subject.

"Classified, probably. Just stuff about the CORE. Dad wants to get together with me and Aria tomorrow… I guess he thinks we can figure this shit out with the three of us. Eh, whatever. It'll be nice to see Aria again."

Frisk wrapped an arm about Sans' shoulders. "Come on inside. I'll show you what I'm up to."

"Anything interesting?"

"I think so."

"Interesting _to me_?"

"That depends on whether you like photography."

"I didn't know you were into that."

Frisk opened up the door and Sans paused to see a large blackout curtain hanging in front of them, leaving only a small space between the door and the kitchen archway.

"What's this?"

"A homemade darkroom. I decided to try developing my own photos." Frisk shut the door, opened the curtain, and let Sans in. There was another small space and a second curtain, and that let into the living room where all the furniture had been pushed aside to make room for some tables and several clotheslines with pins, half-filled with developing photos and lit dimly with red.

"Where'd you get all of this?" Sans asked, honestly impressed by how Frisk seemed to have already mastered the craft.

"Alphys suggested I try it since I like my photography so much. She lent me some things and gave me instructions on how to make a darkroom."

"Wow… You've really outdone yourself." That earned Sans a kiss and Frisk guided him over to one of the tables.

"I just need an extra pair of hands to get these all done. Feeling up to it?" Frisk gave Sans a little smile, and Sans shrugged off his hoodie and set his pack aside.

"Yeah, let's do it."

They spent nearly two hours running the black-and-white images through developer and fixer and rinsing before hanging them up to dry. Once they'd all had sufficient time, Frisk finally pulled down all the blackout curtains and turned on the lights to get a look at their work. Sans didn't really know what they were looking for, but Sans thought the photos all looked pretty good.

"Not bad for our first time," Frisk finally ruled, glancing over all the photos. "But I don't know if this is really my thing. It was nice to try it out, though."

Sans outright laughed at that. Frisk was always trying new and crazy hobbies- this one was pretty tame all things considered- and they always went in whole-hearted before deciding whether or not he wanted to keep the hobby. Frisk settled on the couch where it was now pushed up against the wall, and Sans soon followed, flopping down and leaning into Frisk's side.

"So what's new lately?" Frisk finally asked after they enjoyed the silence for a while.

"Well, I'm pretty sure Mettaton's corrupted my little brother."

"Corrupted, or just laid?"

"Aren't those the same thing?"

"Have I corrupted you, then?" Frisk grinned down at him, and Sans smirked.

"I think I got you first. I was already ruined. And that was partly Mettaton's fault too. But you weren't a virgin either when we got together, were you?"

"Nope. I wasn't very experienced, but you saw to that pretty quickly." Frisk leaned their long neck down to kiss Sans' cheek, and Sans actually felt a little heat come to his cheeks at the memory of their first few times together. Sans had been afraid he'd overwhelm or hurt Frisk, but to their credit, Sans' partner was always a willing student.

"I love you, y'know that?" Sans murmured. He didn't say it often. He never had to anyone save Papyrus, but he always believed Frisk deserved to be reminded.

"I do know that. And I know I love you too. Too much for my own good," Frisk's arms looped around him and Sans relaxed completely with his head tilted back on Frisk's shoulder. It was moments like these that Sans could just forget everything else and bask in Frisk's quiet affection. He'd never had quite the same feeling with anyone else. It had scared him at first, but Mettaton had been there to listen to him, and to slap him when he considered leaving Frisk because Sans was afraid of what he didn't realize back then was love.

"Hey, babe…?" Sans asked quietly out of the blue.

"Mhm?" Frisk remained where they were, their head resting against Sans'.

"Will you come with me tomorrow…? To the lab?"

"Nervous?"

"Not nervous… I just kinda want a security blanket, y'know? And someone who won't be afraid to intervene if Dad and I argue… Because it's bound to happen."

"Not if you stay patient. But yes, I'll go. I wouldn't mind getting a chance to talk to Gaster."

"What about?"

"Us."

Sans looked up then in confusion. "Why us?"

"He's your father, Sans. I'd like to be on good terms with him."

"He doesn't have any bearing on my love life, Frisk."

"He's still your family. I love you and Papyrus, and I'd like to at least be friends with him. It'll make keeping you two from killing each other much easier."

Sans huffed quietly. "I'm not that vicious… Even when I'm mad at him."

"When _aren't_ you?"

"You know what he did, Frisk."

"I do know, but you have to remember he was hurt just as badly as you were." Frisk hugged Sans a little tighter. "Everyone was hurt, and things didn't turn out well. I think you both deserve to be forgiven for what happened while you were still grieving."

"… We'll see." Sans looked down at his lap, and Frisk knew he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Lucida Skjallar's death was a very difficult subject to broach with her surviving firstborn and widowed husband. It would probably never be easy to talk about.


	13. Electrocute Pt8

_Is it cool with you guys if Frisk comes along?_

 _Do you think they can contribute to the discussion?_

 _Doesn't matter. I'd like to bring them._

 _I don't see why not, then. Whatever makes you comfortable._

…

 **February 6** **th** **, 213X**

…

Sans pocketed his phone with a sigh, leaning back in his chair at Frisk's kitchen table and smoothing his still-damp hair back. He could hear Frisk in the shower, the water soon shutting off but their humming continuing. Sans glanced down at his cup of coffee, finding it unappetizing as his head throbbed with a hangover. What a fucking night to drink too much. He was already dreading meeting with his father, and now he was in a terrible mood too. The ibuprofen was taking its sweet time kicking in.

Sans closed his eyes, willing the headache to just kill him rather than drag out the torture. He only opened his eyes again when Frisk's arms wrapped around his shoulders and they pressed a kiss to his temple without a word. Sans sighed again, leaning his head back on Frisk's shoulder.

"I don't wanna go…"

"I know. But it's important."

"… He said he didn't mind if you come."

"Good. I'll make it a little more bearable." Frisk stroked Sans' cheek, knowing he didn't feel well. "And we'll come back and relax afterward, okay? Just you and me lazing around all day."

"Don't you have work tonight?"

"Nope." Frisk kissed Sans' forehead before standing up straight. "Temmie and I switched up with the others after last year's classes ended, so we work together every other day, four days a week."

"She keep you entertained?"

"Always." Frisk ruffled Sans' hair and went to go get a cup of coffee.

"What do you guys even do?"

"Sans, you know I teach."

"Yeah, but I never got how that worked, teaching at a store."

"People come in to learn new art forms, and I teach them. Pottery Monday, sewing Wednesday, photography Friday, and illustration Sunday. Temmie's my assistant, and then we're cashiers at the art department for two hours after the class until the next shift comes in." Frisk returned to sit down across from Sans.

"Business any good?" Sans asked, having never really wondered much about Frisk's career.

"My pay is based on how many students I have, and I've been able to save up a lot lately, so… yeah, I'd say it's going well. I'm getting some second- and third-timers now. Apparently they like me."

"You gonna teach there forever?"

"Hopefully not. I'd like to be a proper teacher, honestly. A professor, even… but I have to finish my degree before I can bother applying."

"Y'know if you need help…"

"You're not paying my tuition, Sans," Frisk told him firmly. "You're already supporting Papyrus."

"Eh, I don't spend much money… might as well put it to good use."

"No. I'll get there on my own. It just might take a while…"

"Or you could do it now and just pay me back. I won't even charge interest." Sans gave Frisk a little grin. He wanted to see Frisk fulfill their career goals and dreams. Teaching had always been near and dear to their heart, and they had often gone in as a substitute teacher at Toriel's little school between Echo and New Home whenever they needed extra money or had time to spare.

Frisk took a little longer to refuse this time, but they couldn't bring themselves to accept that kind of money from Sans, even if it was going to be paid back. Sans reached out to touch their hand with a smile. "If you change your mind… let me know. The offer'll still be there as long as Pap and I don't have any expensive emergencies. I wanna see you succeed, babe. And if we're gonna stick together, we oughta support each other, right?"

Frisk gave him a little smile. "You're not right often… but this time, I'll concede that little point."

"Gee, thanks." Sans chuckled, feeling suddenly better despite his headache, though that too was finally beginning to lift. It was so cheesy to think about, but Frisk never failed to make Sans feel better, even if it was as simple as sitting down beside them in silence after a long day. Frisk loved abundantly, and their very presence was welcoming and calming. They were a far cry from what they could've been if they'd listened to Chara.

…

Frisk's black Volkswagen pulled into the laboratory parking lot and shut off, both Frisk and Sans emerging. Frisk was dressed in black jeans and a heavy duffle coat, while Sans had opted just for his jeans, a sweater, and his usual hoodie despite the cold. Gaster was waiting for them in the reception lobby, watching the two approach. The two receptionists were stealing glances at Gaster, not used to seeing him outside the lab or CORE. Aria entered from the hallway to the lab just before Sans opened the door for Frisk and all four came to face each other.

Gaster straightened his lab coat over his sweater and dark slacks, his single emerald eye focusing on Sans. When their gazes met, Gaster finally stepped forward and slowly offered out a hand. A hug was too much considering how rocky his relationship with Sans was. To his credit, Sans didn't hesitate to shake his father's hand. "Hey, Dad," Sans muttered, and Gaster nodded.

"Thank you for coming, Sans. Aria and I appreciate it." Stepping forward, Aria surprised Sans with a hug. She'd always adored Gaster's sons. They were sweet despite everything they'd been through, and she had often looked after them when they were young.

"Hiya, Ari," Sans chuckled, hugging the woman in return. "I've never introduced either of you properly to Frisk, have I?"

"We've… met. Barely," Gaster shrugged slightly. "But that was a long, long time ago."

"No time like the present, then. This is Frisk Shale… my partner."

"Partner?" Aria asked with a little smile. "Oh, Sans, I didn't know…" She greeted Frisk with a hug too. "It's good to meet you properly without an emergency waiting for us all. Alphys has talked about you so much, but I haven't spoken to you since you were just a child."

"I'm sorry it's taken so long. We always seem to miss each other." Frisk wrapped their arms around her with a smile in return. Finally they turned to Gaster. Gaster offered a hand to shake, surprised when Frisk took his hand in both their own in such a warm gesture. "And it's nice to finally get to meet you directly. We've only ever seen each other in passing."

"Likewise. I… didn't realize Sans had a partner, though I knew you two were close."

"We don't really flaunt it, so I'm sure half our friends don't even know."

"Ah, well… please, follow us and we'll take you both into my lab. Would you like anything? Coffee, water, tea?"

"Coffee. For both of us, I think," Frisk smiled to Sans who always looked tired. "We had a late night."

"Aria, would you take them to-"

"I'll get the coffee," Aria insisted, deciding to give Gaster a moment to speak to the two on his own, even if Gaster didn't want to. When she touched his arm lightly and walked away down the hall, Sans raised an eyebrow at his father, who watched her go.

"Uh… lead on, Pop." Gaster caught the look on Sans' face, his own unamused expression telling Sans not to comment. And that made Sans smirk to himself.

Gaster guided the two through the halls to the double doors that opened into his lab, and then he led them along the wall aisle away from all the tables and machine setups to his personal office. Extra chairs had already been brought in from the conference room outside the lab, and Gaster had set up a folding table and laid out a few folders and files for Sans' consideration and discussion. Each took a seat and Sans sat back in his easily. Frisk knew it was an act. Sans liked to pretend he was unbothered and relaxed in all situations, even when he was uncomfortable.

Gaster adjusted his glasses, unknowingly brushing his hair aside to reveal the awful scar and missing eye for a minute until the strands settled back into place. He had perfect posture and Frisk couldn't quite read whether he was uncomfortable, or just always that serious. Perhaps it was both.

"So what's been up with you lately?" Sans finally broke the silence, looking at his father through half-open eyes.

"Work, of course. I've been trying to develop some more efficient cooling methods-"

"Dad, I meant outside work. I already know what you're up to here, I get updates every time the CORE staff call me."

"Most of that is meant to be classified…"

"Not to the guy they call for help when you're unreachable."

Gaster sighed and shook his head. "Still… if they wanted to keep you up to speed properly, they would've asked me to do it."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"I don't do much outside work," Gaster murmured. "There's too much to do."

"How about you and Aria?" Sans finally asked directly, and Gaster raised an eyebrow.

"What about us?"

"I saw that look between you guys."

"People regularly share 'looks,' Sans."

"Mhm."

"So what made that one so special to you?" Frisk listened to the two in silence, and they could feel the tension rising already. But it wasn't their place to cut in and stop it.

"You haven't looked at anyone like that in years, not that I know of."

"We haven't been around each other much for the past decade and a half. For all you know, son, that's a common look for me."

"Bull. You never change. So rather than running around the topic, just answer one question and I'll shut up."

"What, then?"

"Are you two an item?"

"That's a strong term for it."

"So it's casual?"

"Even that's too strong."

"Is that just you, or does she agree?"

"I answered the one question. Moving on."

"Barely… but fine."

The conversation ended just in time for Aria to enter with four cups of coffee on a tray she'd borrowed from the nearby kitchen and break room. Noticing the silence between the three, Aria glanced over them all and spoke up, "Why don't we get down to business…" Gaster could've met with Sans alone, but he'd insisted she come too to keep things from getting too tense or awkward. Both men respected her and she could break up any arguments or fill the silence.

"Agreed," Sans nodded, and Gaster picked up a folder while Aria laid out the cups and set the tray down with cream and sugar. Frisk took a couple packs of each while Sans and Gaster each only took a single cream packet.

"I went through all the maintenance reports and checks since the first portion of the CORE was operational, to see if I could find where these… anomalies started. Frisk, to catch you up, the CORE has been experiencing rising heat and pressure for an unknown reason, and a number of seemingly unexplainable failures in strange places. Burst pipes with no damage elsewhere along the same line, isolated capacitors-"

"Sans told me quite a bit yesterday and on the way here. I might not understand the technical stuff, but... I can keep up."

"Very well, then. I first noticed a change back in January of 212X, and then a steady but slight increase in heat and pressure to the point that I had to open up Stage Two ventilation. These signs and the power surges and breakdowns all seem to be stemming from something outside the CORE itself. It's not a fault in the machinery… it's something coming from underground that is either being conducted or carried up. But whenever we tear the pipes and cables apart… we can't find anything."

"So it's electrical?" Sans asked.

"That seems to be the logical answer, but it comes with two glaring questions- what could be underground sending electrical surges up the pipes, and how could it not be dissipated along the way? We have grounding cables all over so that back surges don't hit the power storage."

"Do you have any theories as to what it is?" Frisk asked.

"My current theory is that it _is_ electrical, just too strong to be completely blocked. That's the only thing that makes any logical sense."

"And it's not just heat and friction and static?" Sans asked, and Gaster shook his head, laying out several papers. With a quick skim, Sans recognized them as the readings from gauges that monitored temperature and electrical activity in the cables and pipes. None of them showed any spikes, even where Gaster had marked that catastrophic failures occurred. "Shit…" Sans sighed, picking up one page that detailed the bursting of a pipe whose gauges never read an increase of internal pressure, and then the gauges stopped working just after the pipe sheared open.

"It's… a puzzle, to say the least," Aria murmured, taking a sip of her coffee. "There's just nothing to work with…"

"Have you considered something outside electricity?" Frisk asked quietly, and Gaster glanced over.

"Such as?"

"Sabotage?"

"We haven't found a single failed piece of equipment with evidence of tampering."

"Can we go look at those capacitors that died?" Sans asked, and Gaster nodded, rising from his seat.

"They're in my lab awaiting study." They all left their coffee behind to walk out into the huge open lab, and Gaster led them to where a veritable tower of rubber-skinned boxes waited, a miniature forklift parked nearby. One capacitor- a cube about the size of a basketball- was already sitting on a metal table and rubber mat, tools laid out beside it even though it was still unopened. Sans didn't hesitate to pick up a power drill with a screw head attachment, not waiting for Gaster to explain anything. He unscrewed the cover and revealed the inner workings of the power cell. Seeing nothing wrong at first glance, Sans began digging around through wires and cables. Gaster watched over his shoulder, occasionally reaching in to check something for himself while Aria and Frisk looked on.

"This is practically brand new," Sans murmured. "I can't see any damage. Can we hook it up to power?"

"We can," Gaster nodded, going to a locker on the wall near his office. Unlocking it with a keycard, he opened the box to reveal thick cables with electrical clamps. He unfurled the cables and brought the clamps over, attaching them to the capacitor. Aria went to the box and flipped on the power once Gaster and Sans backed off just in case a problem arose. But nothing happened. Sans raised an eyebrow.

"Gotta multimeter?"

Gaster disappeared briefly into his office, returning with a handheld current tester. Clamping it to the output cable, reading a safe and steady amperage and voltage, and the stored power was rising at a perfectly normal rate.

"That… doesn't make any sense," Gaster murmured. "There was nothing wrong with the cables in the storage bay, but none of these would hold a charge. They were hooked up properly…"

"Let me look at the others," Sans muttered, flipping off the clamp power on his way to the stack of other capacitors. He opened up several more, but found them all exactly the same. Even hooking up two more to the power and meter, Sans found them all working just fine. "I have no idea… sounds like we need to take a little field trip."

"I'll call up to the CORE and let them know we're coming," Aria murmured, pulling out her cell phone. Gaster put away the charging clamps and Sans and Frisk re-affixed the back plates on the capacitors. Soon they were all on their way out to Aria's SUV, Frisk and Sans climbing in the back seats. Frisk was a little overwhelmed by how serious Sans suddenly was, watching him pull out his phone and type in a note app. Frisk didn't know much about electricity or how anything related to the CORE worked, but they could understand some of the pieces Sans was writing down. Possibilities for pressure and heat buildup like magma getting closer to the deepest geothermal pipes, or unnoticed natural gas getting into the CORE's main chamber.

Frisk remembered the CORE well, having spent some time there as a child in the middle of the fights between Delta and other countries. Most of the fighting had been about the CORE and how it could be used to control half the world's power supply, but it was also about a complete embargo placed on Delta by Arida and the old White Dove Union in order to twist Asgore's arm and make him submit to the powers of larger countries and alliances. But that was long past.

From the lab, the CORE was only a fifteen-minute drive up a manmade switchback up Mount Under. The huge power plant was built into the dead volcano's chambers, extra space carved out here and there by machines as needed. While the volcano was indeed dormant and had been in all of human memory, there was still magma under its floor, and that was where a good portion of the geothermal energy came from. But other pipes extended far deeper to the hottest pockets. Unlike other geothermal plants that used steam from hot water already beneath the earth's surface, the CORE funneled water from the surface down and then back up as steam to turn massive rows of turbines and generate electricity, and the cycle would continue as the steam condensed. Gaster had built it with such efficiency that the CORE practically ran itself. It just needed supervisors and maintenance.

Aria parked in a reserved spot close to the front door, the summit of Mount Under looming some fifteen-thousand feet above them and casting a massive shadow westward as the sun drifted higher. The main doors led into a square building which then cut into the side of the mountain. A few steam vents stuck out along the mountain here and there, but the CORE itself was completely hidden from sight.

Upon their entry through the automatic doors, the four were immediately approached by a tall, wiry man with a hard hat. "Sir, we have a problem," he spoke up before Gaster could even ask what he was doing waiting for them.

"What happened?"

"'Nother freak accident in power storage, sir… one of my boys got fried."


	14. Worn Dagger Pt9

"While we are not sure exactly how Mr. Gatlin was electrocuted, most of our theories come down to a personal safety oversight. I'm aware that many of you might doubt that thanks to the strange happenings around the CORE lately, but we have reason to believe Mr. Gatlin fell victim to a genuine mistake that, sadly, took his life. So I implore you all to continue to be as safe as you possibly can be so that we don't lose any more fine people to accidents or oversights. I have promised you in the past that if I even suspect a threat to the well-being of anyone in the CORE, I will shut down the power generation to the barest minimum. But as it stands, this was an accident and not a continuous threat. Work will continue as normal, and I will continue hunting for the cause of these malfunctions. I do not believe the CORE is dangerous to any of you, any more than it was when it first came online. Just be vigilant, and make sure to work in pairs as much as possible just in case of accidents. Thank you all for your time, but before I let you go… I would like to inform you all that my son, Sans, is going to be working with us again for a while. So please give him your respect and cooperation. He is every bit as concerned for your well-being as I am. Thank you again."

…

 **February 6** **th** **, 213X**

…

Gaster finally stepped out of the conference room with a sigh, rubbing his temples. Talking to a big group of worried and scared people was never easy. Talking about a death on the premises was even harder. Feeling Aria's hand on his elbow, he looked down at the smaller woman. He didn't try to hide how tired he was. Aria was an old friend who could read him well and she would be able to tell anyway. "Where are Sans and Frisk?"

"Still messing with the capacitor."

"With safety gear, I hope."

"If Sans is anything like you, I doubt it." Gaster sighed at that, stepping away as people filtered out of the conference room. Aria followed and watched Gaster stop by the maintenance storage to pick up a few pairs of rubber gloves. They headed back for power storage, relieved to find the stench of burnt flesh had gone away thanks to the ventilation. Stepping in, Gaster dropped a pair of gloves next to where Sans was kneeling, examining and picking through the killer capacitor with bare hands.

"Do me a favor and don't give me a second funeral to attend," Gaster muttered, pulling on a pair for himself, and leaving the extra pair aside should they need Aria's help.

"I'm fine, Dad. It's drained."

"It was supposedly drained when Gatlin was messing with it too. Who knows what might happen."

"I've checked the whole thing, and there's nothing lef-" A loud crackle made them all jump, a blood-red arc bolting out from an exposed cable to connect with a screwdriver laying next to Sans' hand.

The silence afterward was deafening as they all stared at the capacitor, until Sans finally, slowly, stood up and pulled them all back and away. "Let's uh… let's not, shall we?"

"Why was it red?" Frisk asked quietly, clutching Sans' sleeve.

"I've seen red lightning, before… but not that kind of red," Aria murmured, realizing she too was clutching Sans and Gaster's jackets.

"Dad…" Sans looked up at his silent father and saw recognition and horror in the older man's face as he stared at the capacitor. Gaster's one eye slowly met Sans', and for just a moment, Frisk saw Gaster's emerald eye and Sans' blue eye both turn purple and glow ever so slightly.

"Aria…" Gaster's voice was quiet and calm, but Aria could hear something like… terror, despite his mildly surprised expression. "Evacuate the CORE."

"What?"

"Now. Get on the PA system and announce Code Nine." Aria bolted from the room at that, and Sans' brow furrowed.

"What's Code Nine?"

"An imminent threat to living things in the entirety of Mount Under.… I created it for situations like unstoppable fires or explosions… but I wish I had a Code Ten for this." Gaster motioned for them to follow him. "We aren't in danger right now… but who knows when we will be."

"What's happening?" Frisk asked, following the two out into the hall and toward the exit. "What was that? Why are you two calm if this is so dangerous?"

"Because being scared ain't gonna help," Sans answered quietly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'll explain, but we gotta make sure everyone's safe first. What're we gonna tell them, Dad?"

"… I don't know. We can't tell them the truth, though."

"Leave it to me, then. I got this." Sans took the lead. Soon the PA system kicked on with an annoying beep broadcast through the entire CORE, and Aria's voice was soon echoing around the mountain.

 _"Attention all CORE staff and visitors. This is an emergency announcement. Repeat, attention all CORE staff and visitors. This is an emergency announcement. Dr. W.D. Gaster has declared Code Nine. Code Nine. Please safely stop all ongoing processes in the CORE and evacuate quickly and calmly to the front lot and await further instruction. This is not a drill. Repeat…"_

Aria's voice was still audible even in the front lot where Sans jumped up on the hood of Aria's car and then climbed up on the roof so he'd be the first thing people saw when they came flooding out. Frisk waited below, and Gaster left them to go into the lobby to reception and lock open all the main automatic doors between the CORE chamber and the front of the building so there would be minimal crowding and backups.

People began filtering out before long, gathering around Aria's car when they saw Sans motioning them all over, calling for them to come away from the doors so more people could get out. When a few stragglers came out, soon followed by Gaster, Sans shouted above the low rumble of the crowd.

"Listen up, attention everyone!" Sans bellowed, his powerful voice echoing off the mountainside and making the murmur of the crowd die down. "Eyes on me! I need all supervisors to confirm all your teams are out safely! We'll explain in a minute! Maintenance crews to my right, science division on my left, monitoring division in front of me, and anyone not part of a working group needs to go to the receptionists so they can account for all visitors and non-typical staff!"

Sans watched the crowd begin to mill around and glanced down as Gaster approached. "Give me a hand up, son," Gaster muttered, climbing up on the car hood. Sans offered an arm and helped his father over the windshield and onto the roof beside him.

Once the noise began to die down, Gaster pulled out his phone and tapped a few times until he accessed the CORE's staff database. "Supervisors, sound off when I call your name, and tell me if anyone is missing."

While Gaster did that, Sans looked to the open doors to see one last straggler hurrying out, quickly given directions by someone else of where to go. Sans' brows furrowed. Where was Aria? She might've been lost in the crowd, being of average height. But he couldn't pick out her blonde pixie cut near the doors or in the group of scientists.

"Artur?"

"All present!"

"Ultagi?"

"All accounted for!"

"Carter?" Sans shouted before Gaster could continue. There was a long silence, and Sans heard Gaster's phone clatter off the car and onto the icy pavement. "Dad!" Sans tried to grab his arm, but Gaster had already slid down the windshield and leapt off the car hood. "Shit…" Sans looked at the confused crowd. "Singh?!" He yelled for one of the senior scientists who regularly worked in the CORE.

"Yes, sir!"

"Keep everyone out here! No one goes back in without our all-clear!"

"Understood!"

Sans hardly heard the response, leaping from the car roof and bolting for the door where Gaster had disappeared inside. Sans heard someone follow, and he glanced back to see Frisk keeping up with their longer stride as they entered the main hall. Sans wasn't going to tell them to go back. Frisk wouldn't do it anyway.

Leading the way toward central communications where the PA system was held, Sans and Frisk turned down another, smaller hallway and both slid to a halt upon seeing Gaster standing before an open door on the right further down, staring wide-eyed at whatever was inside the room. His one eye was blazing bright purple, and in response, Frisk saw Sans' own eye flare blue energy, ready to fight whatever had petrified Gaster.

Sans broke into a sprint once more, sliding in front of his father with his left hand engulfed in blue light. Frisk had followed, grabbing Gaster and forcing him to step backward away from Sans. Just for a moment, Frisk looked inside, and they froze with their fingers clenched on Gaster's sleeves. They only saw a fleeting trace, but those red eyes were unmistakable. Any chance of seeing a shape was ruined when a massive beam of energy lit up the entire darkened room blue, and left a dark circular char on the back wall that glowed briefly and smoked before cooling.

Sans was suddenly panting, and his chest burned like someone had just poured acid from his right collarbone to the right side of his ribs. A sudden warmth on his left shoulder made his breath catch seeing purple light around his father's scarred hand. That hand clenched in Sans' hoodie, pulling him aside when Sans didn't put up any resistance. Frisk and Sans both watched Gaster take a few steps into the dark room, his once-emerald eye still purple, and the ethereal flames around his hands growing brighter and brighter until they lit the room before him.

Collapsed on the floor before the PA microphone was a small, curvy lady in a white lab coat with a blonde pixie cut. But the coat was no longer entirely white, and there was a chillingly familiar kitchen knife laying in a mysterious crimson pool that was gathering from the woman's right side.

"Aria…" Gaster whispered. He couldn't think straight. She needed his help. But he couldn't move anymore. Two blurred shapes passed him and hovered around her, but Gaster wasn't sure what was happening until a flash of green lit Aria's form, and Gaster saw a faint, much lighter green shape rise out of Aria's chest. Sans was drawing her soul out… trying to heal her. Sans wasn't good at healing… but Gaster was. He should be helping… Why couldn't he move?

"Gaster!" His blazing purple eye suddenly focused on a face before him. Oh. Frisk had grabbed him by the shoulders. "Focus! Save her!" Somehow, those words clicked a second later and Gaster shoved Frisk aside to fall to his knees, not caring about the blood soaking into his trousers. The purple light around his hands was suddenly a brilliant green, overwhelming even Sans' powerful light show. Even Gaster had to close his eye against the intensity of the light a few seconds later. His own soul, a deep purple hue, drifted from his chest. It was huge for a soul, but it was terribly damaged and the shape was unrecognizable. It slowly drew near Aria's, and her own shivered, seeking refuge in the green light and the purple soul's embrace.

The feeling of wrapping another soul in his own wasn't unfamiliar, but Gaster had only done that to his own children, close friends, and his late wife when they'd been badly hurt or in need of comfort. It was the only way to keep Aria clinging to life long enough to get her to a hospital.

"Pick her up…" Gaster whispered, his voice almost lost in the sound of rising energy that was like an electrical hum, only much smoother and almost… musical. Every soul had a particular sound when its power blazed. This was the sound of Gaster's with the weak sound of Aria's.

Sans let his own power fade away and he and Frisk wrapped Aria up in Sans' hoodie and lifted her up in a chair hold between them. Gaster's hands remained outstretched and he followed them as they made the slow trek back outside where it had begun to snow.

Gaster didn't hear the gasps of horror from the crowd as they saw Aria, nor those of shock at the energy and magic before them. Dr. Singh, a slightly-chubby scientist with short black hair and glasses, was one of the few not afraid of the energy, and hurried forward to open up the back of Aria's SUV for Sans and Frisk. He put the back seats down and Aria was carefully laid inside. Gaster climbed in beside her and the back hatch was shut. Sans and Frisk jumped into the front seats and Frisk started the car. Thanks to Dr. Singh, a path was quickly cleared from the lot to the road down the mountain. It took a while to work carefully down the mountainside, but once on the highway, Frisk gradually sped up, ignoring the speedometer passing the area limit.

Sans turned in his seat to look back at Aria and Gaster, and found his father had laid down with Aria clutched tightly to his chest. Both of them were completely engulfed in green light, and Gaster was holding pressure over the awful stab wound under Aria's ribs on the right side. Sans still couldn't believe what he'd seen… how could they have been there…? Those red eyes were unmistakable, and Aria was definitely on death's doorstep… so why did he still doubt he'd seen Chara Dreemurr?


	15. Psych 1030205X Pre5

_Buckle… metal. Sharp edge? Sharp enough. Prong for gouging? Yes. At meal. One quick thrust. One movement. Fast. No death. Pain. Distraction. Enough? Escape? Take keys. Run. Take taser! Defend, escape. Finish. Asriel. Must finish. Dad too. Mom too. Must finish. Asriel. Asriel… Asriel. ASRIEL._

…

 **October 30** **th** **, 205X**

…

"Good afternoon, Chara. Are you excited for Halloween?"

 _Asriel. Asrielasrielasriel. Az. Azzy, crybaby. Asri… el._

"It won't be much, but there's always a little treat to look forward to if you're polite."

 _Asriel, le… leir… leirsa. Leirsa. Asrielleirsa._

"Can you please sit up?"

 _Azzy. As-… Interruption. Sit up? Yes. Be polite._

"Thank you. You've been very good today. I appreciate that."

 _Good today… very good. Very polite. Appreciated. Trust._

"Can you look at me? Let's see how that black eye is doing."

 _Black eye… bad guard. Hit. Bad, mean. No reason. Was being good… polite._

"I'm so sorry that happened to you… you were being so nice. But we won't be dealing with him anymore, I promise. He was promptly fired."

 _Fired… caught fire. Wish. Maybe lighter… match. Blowtorch! Yes!_

"You're being quieter than usual. How was your morning? Did you draw with Miss Atla again?"

 _Atla… nice. Helpful. Last to go._

"Chara?" Finally those red eyes opened and Dr. Avery Thyme smiled kindly down into Chara's blank gaze. He'd long since stopped being afraid of them or getting shivers at their stares. Perhaps he was a little crazy himself for being so chummy with them, but they seemed to thrive off being treated like they weren't a homicidal and suicidal sociopath. "There's my little friend. You've been so kind today. Miss Atla told me you even complimented her new haircut."

"It's… nice…" Chara murmured, their voice coming out quiet and hoarse from little use, unsure of how to translate their thoughts to sound half the time. "Pretty…"

"You're right, it is. And she was flattered that you noticed. Now… how do you feel?"

"Six…" Chara muttered, looking down at their scarred palms. They didn't like talking much, so they and Dr. Avery often spoke in simple, short words using numbers and scales to describe feelings and discomfort.

"Ah, six is nice and comfortable. Anything bothering you lately? You haven't spoken much at all today, even less than usual."

"… Miss Asriel…" Chara admitted softly, and Avery sat down across from their bed on a stool. He ran a hand back through his short brown hair and scratched his goateed chin.

"You miss your brother? I'm sorry, Chara. I wish you could see them, but… you understand, right?"

"Yes… Is Mom… coming?"

"She'll be here in an hour or so."

"But… not Dad."

"… I'm sorry, no. But maybe you can ask your mother to get him to come if you want to see him."

"No… hates me."

"That's not true, Chara."

"Loves Asriel… not adopted… enemy."

"Just because you're from Arida doesn't mean your father doesn't like you, Chara. He's just… unsure. I know I don't need to sugarcoat things for you. He's afraid. Not of you, but of how awful he feels that you're here."

"Put me here…"

"For your own safety. But I know you don't want to hear that."

"Go home someday…"

"… It's not impossible, little friend. We just need to make sure you're okay and happy and able to live out in the world safely."

"Can't yet… Not ready."

"I'm glad you understand that… I really am. You're an intelligent person, Chara, and I think you can get better. You've already made huge strides. You've made friends with some of the doctors and instructors… You've even helped some other patients feel better. And that's fantastic and so kind."

"Can get… better?"

"Absolutely. I believe anyone can get better. It all depends on whether they want to, and whether people help them. I want to help, and you've told me so many times you want to get better and go home and see your brother again. If you hold onto that dream, we can make it come true someday."

 _Get better… See Asriel… Finish it._

"Now, are you hungry at all?"

"… Seven."

"Pretty peckish then. Come on, we'll go get a snack to tide us over til dinner." Avery stood and offered a hand. He was perhaps the only person not afraid to let Chara touch him, and one of few Chara didn't mind touching them. That was handy for a doctor whose main duties were taking care of Chara and administering any medical treatments. He smiled when Chara took his hand slowly, slipping from the bed in their knee-length shorts and striped sweater and bare feet.

Together, they walked down the hall past the different patient rooms, some doors open and some locked shut, some even with their little windows covered. Chara walked at their own pace, knowing Avery wouldn't make them keep up with his much longer stride with his long legs. They eventually abandoned holding his hand to wrap their fingers in the side of his white coat. That was normal when they were entering a larger area and felt a bit of agoraphobia with the open cafeteria and the smattering of people around. They didn't like big groups, but everyone was fairly spaced out, patients with their doctors and orderlies and instructors. Everything was peaceful.

Avery trusted Chara to wait at a table for him while he fetched a couple little bowls of fruit salad and half a PB&J each. While he knew he could trust them to stay put, he always made sure to praise them for being patient and polite. It was a far cry from the way they'd been when they had been brought into the psychiatric hospital in Streamtown, the only one in all of Delta. Chara had been horrifically suicidal and couldn't even be trusted to have their hands free. At one point they tried to suffocate themselves by holding their breath, so they'd been forced to take a breathing tube for three days straight. And anytime someone got near them, they would try their damnedest to kill the person. Eventually the suicidal tendencies faded, especially once they were told Asriel was still alive. But the vicious reaction to others had taken a few years to iron out, improving dramatically once Dr. Avery Thyme was assigned to Chara just after being hired at the hospital.

Now, Chara was downright pleasant on their good days, and only lashed out occasionally in frustration or after nightmares. Even on their bad days, they were simply quiet and melancholy. Avery was quite chuffed with his success, and very proud of the patient he called his 'little friend.' Other doctors didn't like building friendships with their charges, but Avery believed in kindness and understanding, and not holding a grudge when Chara got out of hand.

Chara ate silently and so Avery followed their example. He tried not to force conversation too much outside his check-ins. Chara liked to think and they had quite the imagination beyond the darker thoughts, so Avery didn't interrupt often.

"Mister A?" Chara finally asked once they finished eating and took a drink of water from a bottle Avery had brought. Chara never called anyone by name save their parents and Asriel. But Avery had been the only one given a personalized title in the entire hospital.

"Yes, Chara?"

"Can I grow… flowers?" _Oil… Neurotoxin._

Avery paused at that. "What brought this up?"

"I miss… the garden. At home."

"I don't see why we couldn't get you a plant-pot. You can put it in the window."

"Special flowers…"

"What kind?"

"Echo… and Golden." _Oil… Neurotoxin. Cyanide._

"Why don't you ask your mother to get some seeds for you? She'll probably know better where to get them than me."

"Yes… Mom knows." Chara looked over at Avery then. _Trust… need trust. Neurotoxin. Cyanide. Concentrated… Need trust._ "Mister A?"

"Mhm?"

"I… was bad."

"What do you mean?" Avery had been about to take a drink from his own bottle of water, and set it back down.

"Took something… was going… to hurt the guard." _Not a lie… Not the truth._

Avery didn't get tense or scared or angry. He made a note of keeping calm even in bad situations with Chara. "What did you take?"

"Buckle… from straps… bed." Chara reached slowly into their pocket and produced a broken buckle frame and prong with an edge that had been filed sharp by rubbing it against the steel bedframe in Chara's room. "Bad…" Chara set the buckle down on the table and pushed it toward Avery. "Sorry… was scared…"

"I appreciate your honesty, Chara." Avery calmly took the buckle and put it in his own pocket. "And you telling me even though you were scared of the guard is very brave. He won't ever come around here again. I promise you're safe."

"In trouble…?"

"… No. I'll have to make a note about it, but it's okay as long as you never do it again. Alright?"

"Yes, Mister A." _Ha. Trust. Haha… Idiot._


	16. Grudge Pt10

"Thankfully it was only a minor wound despite the blood loss. And thanks to you and your father being so willing to give your own blood for her, she should be just fine."

…

 **February 6** **th** **, 213X**

…

"Dad?" Sans asked quietly as he stepped back into the waiting room. Gaster was laying on one of the sofas, his long legs stretched out over the overstuffed arm. A half-empty cup of orange juice lay on the table beside him, forgotten in his exhaustion and worry. When Gaster didn't answer, Sans approached and laid a hand on his arm. "Dad."

"Hm…?" Gaster's eye opened and he had to shake himself out of the sleep haze before he could focus on Sans. "Son… how is she?"

"Thanks to you, she should come out of this with nothing but a scar." When Gaster pulled his legs back to sit up, Sans settled beside him. "You did a pretty good job. The doctors have no clue how bad it really was before you got to her. Once they finish the transfusion and she rests a couple days, she'll be able to go home."

"Good… What did you say when they asked what happened?"

"An accident. I spun a whole story about how she was working with some equipment and tripped backward over some cables and fell on something. I don't know how much of it they bought, but they didn't ask anything else."

"They know she works at the lab and the CORE. It'll do." Gaster sat forward and smoothed his hair back with a sigh. "At least she's okay…"

"How long has this been a thing?" Sans asked after a few seconds.

"A thing?"

"How long have you and Aria been seeing each other?" When Gaster gave Sans a look that told him it wasn't his business, Sans gave him a half-smile. "Aw, come on, Dad. You're the last person I ever expected to get a girlfriend."

"Three months… give or take," Gaster murmured, his gaze moving to his scarred hands.

"It's pretty cute."

"Sans…"

"Alright, fine. Just trying to make conversation." Sans shook his head.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just not the sort to talk about those things anymore. At least not about myself. But… I would like to hear about you and Papyrus."

"Well, you already know Frisk. And you know Mettaton, right?"

"Mettaton?" Gaster looked over at his son with a raised eyebrow. "Not Mettaton Taylor."

"Yep."

"With Papyrus?"

"Mhm."

"That poor boy," Gaster cracked a small smile. "He must have to fight off Mettaton's fans constantly."

"More or less."

"And didn't you date Mettaton for a long time?"

"Eh, not so much dating."

"Ah, so it was _that_ kind of relationship."

"Yup. But he adores Pap. He loves seeing that Pap isn't quite as naïve as everyone thinks."

"Oh?"

"He's a badass when he has to be," Sans chuckled, and that earned a quiet laugh from his father as well. "Mettaton told me how he intimidated the hell out of a stranger outside a club that was bugging them, and then turned back into a teddy bear the moment the guy was gone."

"I suppose I'm one of the ones who still thinks he's naïve then. Sort of like how everyone thinks you're just a pushover, hm?"

"Sort of. I guess I'm a pushover for certain people."

"Like Frisk and Papyrus."

"Yeah. Especially them."

Both men were smiling to themselves now, though that was very rare for Gaster. He hadn't had a decent personal conversation with Sans in far too long. And he told him so. "The circumstances aside, son… It's nice to catch up with you. If only a little. We've been at odds for a long time."

"It is nice… And Frisk didn't even have to mediate."

"Were they going to?"

"Yeah… I wasn't feeling too excited about potentially getting into another fight. That's why I wanted them to come, to keep me from getting mad and saying something I'd regret."

"All things considered… a smart choice. I'm not sure Aria's quite brave enough to get between two Skjallars fighting."

"Almost no one is," Sans grinned. "But Frisk can get between whole countries, so they're the person for the job."

"Once this trouble is all sorted, it'd be nice to get to know them a little better. We've barely been acquaintances for… what is it, nearly twelve years now?"

"Yeah. Ever since they saved all our asses when they were nine."

"I still can't believe it, and I was there when the treaties were signed… Quite a partner you've chosen."

"Eh, I was pretty passive. They picked me. They've always known what they wanted and I guess I got put on the list."

"You should count yourself lucky, then, Sans."

"I do. More than I'll admit out loud."

"Good. Speaking of, where _is_ Frisk?"

"On the phone. They'll be back in a bit. In the meantime… We oughta call Alphys."

"Shit…" Gaster sighed. "I didn't even think about it… What do we tell her…?"

"She knows about us, we don't have to cover anything up. Look, I'll call her. You stay here and wait for the doctor. You should be able to go see Aria soon."

"Are you sure…? I feel like I should call her."

"No offense, Dad, but you've never been the best at comforting and reassuring most people. Alphys is pretty sensitive and this situation is even more sensitive." Sans watched as his father shook his head and rubbed his temples.

"You're right… I just feel like… it's my responsibility. I've been close with the Carters for decades. And Aria and I…"

"I know, Dad. But leave it to me. I know how to talk to Al." Sans patted his shoulder before rising and stepping out of the waiting room. He glanced down the hall to his left to see Frisk leaning on a wall in a corner on their phone. It looked serious by Frisk's expression. Sans decided to head down the opposite way to a little alcove with some chairs, and he pulled out his phone. Alphys was close to the top of his contacts list and there was a little picture of her and Undyne from a year back. Undyne's arms were wrapped around Alphys' shoulders, her head on top of the blonde's with a big grin while Alphys looked as awkward and happy as ever. Sans smiled to himself, hitting the green 'call' button and bringing the phone to his ear.

It rang three times before a familiar voice answered, "Heya, Sansy." It was Undyne. Alphys often left her phone with Undyne when she was busy, and that meant that either both were off work or Undyne and Alphys were out to lunch together on their break.

"Hey, Undyne," Sans answered, not quite mustering his usual laid back tone.

"You sound a little… lackluster. What's up?"

"Is Al there?"

"She went out to the store a while ago, forgot her phone. She should be back soon. Anything I can help with?"

"Not really… It's about Aria."

"What?! What happened? Where is she?!"

"Chill, it's under control. But I wanna tell Al before anything else… I kinda need her opinion on something."

"What happened?" Undyne repeated firmly, and Sans sighed.

"An… accident."

"As in not actually an accident."

"Yeah. But people need to think it was an accident. That's our cover story right now."

"Then I'm guessing that that… stuff, magicky-whatever, is involved."

"Mhm… Me and Dad both."

"I didn't know he could do it."

"It's a lot stronger than mine. And thank fucking god it is, because Aria would be dead if not for him."

"… I'm going to ask you one last time, Sans. What. Happened?"

"I'm… not completely sure yet. But… it was the CORE, and… something else."

"That's not very fucking specific."

"It's as specific as I can get until I talk to Al and check on some things, okay? Just deal with it for now. I've been making a few calls while waiting on Aria, but nothing's making much sense yet. I promise I'll explain once I get it all straight."

"Fine… I think I heard Al drive up. Hold on."

"I'll be here."

From there, Sans listened to Undyne move, and the distant sounds of Undyne and Alphys' voices.

 _"Hey, babe… Sans called for you. It's… kinda serious."_

 _"Oh…? Um… o-one second… Is he still on the line?"_

 _"Yeah…"_

A few seconds later, the phone changed hands and Alphys asked, "Sans? It's Alphys."

"Hi, Al… uh… you might wanna sit down. Everything's under control, but I've got some bad news."

"O-okay… What is it?"

"Your mom got hurt pretty badly at the CORE a while ago. We're at the hospital right now." When there was no answer after a full ten seconds, Sans' brows furrowed in concern. "Alphys?"

"I-I'm still here…"

"You heard me, right?"

"I did… Is she… is she okay?"

"Thanks to Dad, yeah. He took good care of her on our way here, and the doctors took care of the rest. She should be done with a blood transfusion soon, and they won't keep her too long."

"How d-did she get hurt…?"

"She was stabbed… but we're telling everyone it was an accident, because it doesn't make any goddamned sense what happened… Al… I saw Chara."

"No… no you didn't!"

"I know those eyes, Al. But I called their doctor, and they're still in their room."

"Then how could it-"

"The knife was there."

"What?"

"The knife they got me and Frisk with. It was there. I have it with me right now."

"How the hell is that even p-possible?! It fell into the CORE!" Sans froze at that.

"Wait… what?" Sans asked quietly.

"You didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"On that rampage, after you two were hurt and Asriel nearly died, Chara fled into the CORE to avoid the police. Undyne's father managed to catch them, and in the fight, the knife fell off the walkways and into the basin. I-it'd be almost impossible to retrieve, a-and it'd probably be buried in feet of sediment by now."

"Alphys… I have the goddamned knife. In my belt, right now. It's the same one, with the wooden handle and red blade and everything." Sans could hear Undyne in the background now, asking what the hell was going on and what Chara had come up for, as she couldn't hear Sans' end.

"Hold on, I want Undyne in on this… okay?"

"Yeah, put it on speaker." There was a small crackle, and then Undyne's voice got a lot louder. Sans had to pull his phone away from his ear.

" _What the fuck is going on?!"_

"U-Undyne-"

 _"Is that little punk on the loose?! What did they do to Aria?!"_

"No… Not physically, anyway."

 _"What the fuck does that even mean, Sans?"_

"It means I have a kid to visit soon."

"You're n-not serious…"

"I'm completely serious. I need to see them with my own eyes."

 _"You're not going alone."_

"I'm not taking any of you."

"Sans, you can't go on your own. I know you, a-and I remember Chara. One of you will attack the other, I just know it. You wanted to rip them apart for hurting Frisk back then, and I know you don't let go of a grudge like that!"

"… I can't take any of you. That kid's hurt all of us. And I can't take Frisk…"

 _"Why the hell not? Frisk always keeps you calm, they're the best one for the job!"_

"… I can't," Sans repeated quietly, lifting a hand to his chest as images of Frisk with Chara's knife passed through his mind. "Just… be alert, okay? I'm gonna figure this out. Until then, the CORE is shut down. And I need to talk to Aria about what she saw before she got hurt… she was on her own. She must've seen, even felt something."

"I-I'll be over there soon…"

"I'm coming too. You better still be there when we come in, Sans, so I can kick your ass for even thinking of seeing Chara alone."

"No promises… I've got work to do."

"Please, please just don't go alone," Alphys begged quietly. "Take someone who can keep you calm, someone who can help you if Chara gets out of hand."

"… Alright. I'll take someone."

 _"Yeah? You just saying that to appease us, or do you actually have someone in mind?"_

"There's one person Chara might still care enough about to be calm around… Haven't talked to Tori since I brought her kid home." Sans sighed and shook his head. "She needs to know about this anyway. Maybe Asgore too, at some point."

"Good choice," Alphys agreed. "She's one of the only people who can talk you down too."

"I'm not gonna attack Chara."

 _"Considering how you react when anyone hurts any of us, I doubt that,"_ Undyne muttered flatly.

"I'm not some temperamental teenager anymore, Undyne. I can handle myself."

 _"We'll see about that when you meet Chara face-to-face and remember everything they did. Kid or not back then, they fucked everything up for their whole family and almost killed some of our friends. You don't forgive, Sans."_

"No… no I don't."


	17. Closing Ranks Pt11

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Sans. You... saw Chara? According to the orderlies, Chara was in their room the whole day. I don't know what you saw, but... It couldn't have been Chara."

"I know it doesn't make any sense, Tori. But I need to see them myself. Just for a few minutes. I'd say I was seeing things, but Dad saw them too. The only person who could convince me otherwise at this point is Aria, but she's still asleep."

"I'll take you with me if you talk to Aria first. She's the only one I think I could begin to believe... Because it's just not possible, dear. I don't think you're a liar, but I think you and William misread the situation."

…

 **February 7** **th** **, 213X**

...

Sans sighed as he tucked his phone away after saying goodbye to Toriel. He hadn't expected her to believe him, but he had hoped she might trust that he wasn't crazy.

"Sans." He turned to see Frisk leaning lightly on the doorframe of the waiting room.

"Hey, babe," he muttered in return, his posture feigning relaxation as he tucked his hands into his hoodie pockets. Frisk knew that facade well. Sans tried to pretend he was cool and relaxed no matter what. "Did you see Aria?"

"She's awake. Your father wouldn't leave her side." Frisk pushed off the doorframe to step up in front of Sans. They took him by the arm and drew him into a gentle embrace. "You haven't eaten all day."

"Not really hungry," Sans murmured. His hands came to rest on Frisk's lower back and he leaned into their chest.

"Hungry or not, you need to eat something. So does Al. Undyne and I will drag you both downstairs if you don't go."

"Alright, fine... What about Dad?"

"I'm afraid neither of us can make him go. So I'm going to bring him something." Frisk pressed a kiss to Sans' forehead. "Come on." With a little tug on his sleeve, Frisk set Sans walking out and down the hall toward the elevators. Undyne and Alphys were waiting for them. Or rather, Undyne was waiting and trying to make Alphys believe that her mother would be fine if they went to eat.

"She's okay, baby," Undyne soothed softly, knelt before Alphys who sat on a bench against the wall. "Gaster's with her. She's safe as can be."

"I-it only took a few minutes of being on her own to get hurt. It doesn't matter wh-who's with her... If they look away..." Alphys was trying to hold back tears as Undyne tried to keep her from having a full-blown panic attack in fear of losing the only parent she had left.

"Alphys." When Frisk's soothing voice reached them, both women looked up to see Sans and Frisk approaching. Needing the stability of Frisk's calm and patient presence, Alphys stood to hug them tightly. As safe as Alphys felt with Undyne, Frisk was the unshakable rock of their friend group. Frisk didn't scare easily and they reacted peacefully to everything even when force was necessary.

Undyne stood with a sigh and glanced at Sans. The circles under his eyes were darker than usual. He and Frisk and Gaster probably hadn't slept the night before. Undyne knew she and Alphys certainly hadn't. After arriving to see Aria who was still too foggy to tell them what happened, Undyne and Frisk had been looking after the others. They'd all spent the night at the nearby hotel, and Sans had fielded all the calls from the CORE and the lab to save Gaster and Alphys the trouble, while Undyne had called into work for herself and Alphys.

Sans met Undyne's gaze and the two stepped away together. "So… how goes the plan to visit Chara?" Undyne asked quietly as they leaned on the wall down the way. Frisk would take care of Alphys.

"Tori said she'd take me- obviously I can't go without her permission. It's her kid after all… But she doesn't believe a word I said."

"It's not exactly the most believable story… especially considering Chara lost any power they had thanks to Frisk. But… we can't afford not to believe it," Undyne sighed, and Sans looked up at her.

"Speaking of… how goes the training with Al?" Sans murmured, and Undyne reached up to fix her ponytail- a nervous habit.

"Al's kind of like Frisk on the fighting front… even when she attacks, she just can't do any damage. She's a great defender and healer, though. But her forte's always been healing thanks to her work. Me… It seems like I still can't do anything other than destroy. I've got a good handle on fire thanks to Tori and Asgore, but that's about it."

"Maybe once things settle down, you should ask Asriel," Sans suggested, making Undyne raise an eyebrow.

"I thought that was dangerous for him."

"That's just Asgore being too cautious. Asriel trains every day. He's one hell of a kickboxer too, according to Pap."

"Papyrus works with him?"

"Weekly."

"Huh… It'd be a nice excuse to get to know Az again… I kinda miss the kid. I don't think I've even talked to him lately."

"He's a good guy. And not nearly as dangerous as his parents make him out to be. They're just overprotective and they don't want to risk someone setting him off. But I doubt anyone could make him lose it these days unless he was in real danger."

Both went quiet for a long moment and Undyne crossed her toned arms. She watched Sans stare at the floor, looking completely exhausted. His gaze eventually wandered back to Frisk down the hall, watching them cup Alphys' cheeks and speak to her softly while tears rolled down her face. Undyne wanted to go running back to her, but she knew Frisk was the best for the job.

"So when're you gonna pop the question?" Sans murmured, making Undyne sigh and shake her head. "You bought that ring like two months ago."

"I'm still waiting for the right time."

"You've had plenty of great chances, Undyne. Especially that weekend you guys took at the hotel near the hot springs."

"I was going to then…"

"But you got scared," Sans gave her a little grin and she frowned, narrowing her eyes.

"I never get 'scared,' Sans."

"You chickened out of asking the love of your life to marry you, because you've somehow convinced yourself she might say no," Sans chuckled.

"And what about you?" Undyne huffed. "You and Frisk have been going steady for two years. When are _you_ gonna ask?"

"Eh. I never really considered it. Weddings aren't my thing," Sans shrugged.

"Aw, come on, you know Frisk would love it. It'd be simple, and they probably wouldn't even make you wear a tux."

"Huh… maybe one day. We'll see."

"Hop to it, old man. You're not getting any younger."

"You're _two_ years younger than me."

"But not thirty like you. Doesn't that make you a cougar, with a partner eight years younger than you?"

Sans sighed deeply, but thankfully Frisk and Alphys' return saved him from any more teasing. Undyne's usual sarcasm melted away at the sight of Alphys' glassy red eyes, but Frisk had managed to calm her down. "Hey, baby," Undyne murmured, drawing the tiny blonde into her arms with a kiss pressed to her forehead.

Frisk wrapped an arm around Sans' broad shoulders, giving him a small smile when Sans' own arm looped around their waist. Once Alphys was ready, they headed for the elevator and out to the parking garage. Once they were all in Frisk's car, Undyne's phone rang and she pulled it out to answer. "Wagner," came her typical professional voice, but her expression quickly became surprised and then sheepish. "Hey… Hi, Ma. I-… Yeah, she-…" Sans held back a slight snort, hearing a tirade on the other line that was undoubtedly Undyne's mother Maurette. "I'm sorry, Ma, listen-… yes, I know she's your best friend. I'm sorry. I've been with Al." The voice on the other end quieted and Undyne seemed to relax. "Did Gaster tell you? … Yeah, he's with her… Room 576. Do you want me to come meet you? … Okay. We'll see you there, then. Love you too, bye." With a sigh, she tucked her phone back into her pocket.

"Oh boy. Are we getting a visit from the old captain?" Sans asked with a little grin, looking back at Undyne as she relaxed into her seat.

"Yup. Hold onto your asses. She's gonna be on the warpath."

"How much are we going to tell her?" Frisk asked, glancing at Undyne in the rearview mirror.

"It's up to Aria and Gaster. Mom would be good to have on board, but then again, it might be better if we have fewer people involved."

"Do you think we should tell Mettaton and Papyrus?" Alphys asked quietly. "They're going to hear about Mom and they're going to know we're all involved eventually."

"I'd rather keep Pap out of it… and M would tell him if we didn't," Sans sighed. "Maybe we should. But I'm not looking forward to making them worry."

"They'll worry anyway if we keep secrets," Frisk reasoned, and Sans nodded. "Besides… we don't know the scope of the problem yet with Chara and the CORE. Mettaton could be a big help seeing as he knows a thing or two about the CORE, and Papyrus could be helpful if there are any more 'accidents.' He's a great healer and good moral support if nothing else."

"Yeah… I guess that's two more people I gotta call. But I'll deal with that after I go with Tori to see Chara." Sans slid down in his seat.

"I'll talk to them," Frisk told him, reaching over to lay a hand over Sans' on the center console. "You just worry about Chara."

"Thanks, babe…" Sans muttered. No one envied him the task of going to see the heir that Delta had forgotten, and Frisk wanted to make everything else a little easier. They couldn't go in Sans' place, if only for their own sake. Frisk was certain that the very sight of Chara might make one of them lose their composure. Either Frisk would shut down in fear, or Chara would attack them. Chara had promised as much when they'd been dragged away by royal guards twelve years back- they would destroy Frisk, and never be parted from Asriel again.


	18. Doppelganger Pt12

"Chara? You have some visitors."

…

 **February 8** **th** **, 213X**

…

Toriel still had her doubts about the younger, stocky man sitting beside her with his hands tucked into his hoodie, his expression relaxed, his eyes anything but. They half-listened to the guards chat about nothing in particular in the office beyond the waiting room, one of them making an side mention of how the Dreemurr kid never got visitors other than their mother. Toriel glanced down at her companion, finding him fidgeting with his hoodie zipper.

"Sans?" She asked softly, and he paused to look up at her as she took off her lavender scarf.

"What?"

"… Are you sure about this?"

"Course I'm sure," he sat up a little straighter. "I know you don't trust me, Tor, but I gotta see the kid. I don't know what I'm looking for… but I'll know when I find it. I'll try not to upset them."

"I'm just worried… how Chara will react to you. They've been doing so well. I feel like a reminder of the past won't be good for them." Toriel folded her hands nervously in her lap on top of the folded scarf.

"If they're ever gonna get better, they're gonna have to deal with those reminders, Tori. You're one of them. And I doubt they just forgot it anyway."

"I know… But I'm also afraid of what you might do when you see them."

"I'm calm. But this is why I didn't just ask your permission to go see them- I wanted you to come with me and make sure I stay calm. If you get worried at any moment, you can pull me out of there, okay?"

"Alright… Just… be nice."

Sans raised an eyebrow at that. "I didn't come to hurl abuse at them."

"I know. But… old wounds, and all that."

"Yeah… but like I said, if you get worried, just pull me out. I just need to ask them some things."

"Mrs. Dreemurr and Mr. Skjallar?" A woman's voice called into the waiting room. Sans and Toriel rose together, approaching a smartly-dressed woman at a reinforced door leading into the main building. She had a very short pixie cut and dark-rimmed glasses, and her frame was tall and thin. She offered out a hand in greeting to Toriel, and then to Sans. "Welcome back, Toriel. And welcome, Mr. Skjallar. I'm Denise Atla, or Miss Atla to most people here. I work with patients to teach them creative hobbies and I teach art and writing to some of our younger wards. Chara is one of my artists."

"Artists?" Sans asked with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry, I guess I don't really know what a place like this does."

"We provide rehabilitation and treatment, and then simply care for some patients who sadly aren't able to function out in the world. Chara is in rehabilitation at the moment. Though it may be some time before they're ready to leave, they've made tremendous strides thanks to Dr. Thyme. He's with Chara right now waiting for us. I wanted to come meet you first, though, Mr. Skjallar, because I understand you have a past with Chara."

Sans shifted uncomfortably at the concerned look in the woman's eyes. "Kinda, yeah…"

"Do they know you're coming?"

"Yeah, I wasn't gonna surprise them."

"Good. Now… I'm not a doctor like Avery Thyme, but I am involved in most of Chara's social skill building and the like. And I just wanted to warn you- inform you, rather- that Chara can seem a little cold and short when they speak, but they're simply not a fan of talking much."

"That's fine. Didn't really expect them to talk at all, honestly."

"But Chara is actually very sweet," Miss Atla insisted. "Yesterday they had a problem with an orderly, but just this morning, they apologized and gave the orderly a flower from their little window garden."

"That's… nice," Sans muttered, smoothing back his hair and biting his tongue. He didn't believe it for a second, but he had to remind himself that it'd been over a decade. Maybe Chara was a little less… murderous.

"Anyhow, I also wanted to remind you not to bring up the… incident. It's still not a subject Chara can handle with others. Only Dr. Thyme has been able to speak with them about it so far."

"That's fine. I won't be long, I just wanna visit for a few minutes."

"Then come with me, I'll show you in." Miss Atla opened up the door with a keycard and brought Toriel and Sans down the white hall into the main complex. They ascended a flight of stairs and walked down two more long hallways before Miss Atla paused in front of a door. She tapped on its covered window and it swung open. A lanky young doctor in a white coat and half-moon glasses stepped out, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Ah, Toriel, welcome back," he smiled, shaking her hand.

"Hello, Dr. Thyme."

"You can call me Avery, I've been telling you this for years," he chuckled brightly. "Chara's looking forward to seeing you and your friend." He shook Sans' hand then. "Avery Thyme, I'm Chara's psychiatrist."

"Sans Skjallar," Sans murmured. "The kid's… looking forward to seeing me?"

"The moment I mentioned your name yesterday, they perked right up. I haven't heard them be so talkative since their father last came to visit."

"And… that's a good thing?"

"Absolutely. Chara was excited- well, that's a strong word… More passionate, I'd say, about life for days after the king visited."

"Huh," was Sans' simple answer. He wasn't sure what to make of that. At the doctor's welcome, Toriel stepped inside first.

"Hi, Mom," Sans heard a fairly neutral voice say. It sounded so different from what he remembered… but Chara was much older now.

"Hello, my dear child," Toriel said softly in return, and Sans stepped in to see her hugging a thin young person in a baggy green t-shirt and tan cargo pants. Sans had to swallow back a sudden nervous lump in his throat. Shit, they looked so much like Frisk still. When they'd been young, they'd looked almost exactly alike aside from Chara's lighter hair and reddish eyes. Now, they were much thinner and paler than Frisk, but had the same cheekbones and nose and even the same slightly-shaggy dark hair, though Chara's was shorter and straighter. Sans had never figured out why Chara and Frisk looked so much alike. He'd thought they might be related, coming from the same country, but a DNA test he'd run out of pure curiosity hadn't matched the two even remotely.

"Sans," that emotionless voice pulled Sans from his thoughts and he had to force himself not to freeze on the spot when he saw Chara facing him, those half-open red eyes looking over him with some interest and an unsettling calm.

"Hey, kiddo," Sans greeted with some forced warmth. It wasn't easy to treat Chara like he treated Asriel.

"Avery said you'd come… I didn't believe it."

"Well, believe it. I'm here."

"… Why?" Sans paused then. He hadn't thought of how he'd actually phrase it… Especially in front of a doctor and a mother who would probably interrupt the moment Chara seemed bothered or felt Sans was getting anxious.

"I, uh… well, I wanted to see how you were doing, maybe talk about some stuff that's been going on."

"Oh…?"

"Yeah. Um… so… how are you?" Sans glanced around then, searching for something to ask about. "I, uh… I hear you're an artist."

"I like to draw… Miss Atla helps me." As they spoke, Sans spotted a planter box in the window, and he raised an eyebrow at the sight of Golden flowers growing there alongside Echo flowers. Normally those two types couldn't grow in the same soil… And why would the staff let Chara have such… dangerous… plants. Sans could almost hear a click in his mind as he remembered what Chara had done so long ago. They'd tried to kill themself and Asriel with some kind of poison that couldn't be defined… And Sans remembered his time in the CORE lab studying Delta flora and fauna for a passion project. Echo and Golden flowers couldn't grow together, but they could-

"Sans?" Chara asked, and Sans snapped back to reality once more.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I'm… a little spacey today."

"Looking at my garden…?"

"Y-yeah. It's… really nice. I didn't know… those flowers could grow together."

"With special care. And special soil." Sans met those red eyes again, and he saw an unsettling hint of a smile on Chara's blank face. Was it just his nerves, or did he know that smile?

"Huh… I studied them for a long time. Never figured it out…"

"I know… used your notes."

"My… notes?"

"The ones you published… five years ago."

"How did you know about those?"

"Dad told me you were studying them… I was trying to grow them… He brought me a copy of the science journal…"

"Oh… Glad I could help." Sans saw that smile grow a little more, and he had to force himself not to flinch when the scar on his chest twinged. He wanted to dismiss it as just his mind playing tricks on him, until Chara spoke again.

"I saw the news yesterday… did something happen in the CORE?" The twinge became almost a sting, and Sans instinctively slid one foot back a few inches. "I heard Dr. Carter was hurt… and strange things were happening. I wonder what that could be."

The almost lyrical tone that came to Chara's voice made a sudden boiling rage course through Sans' blood and it took all his willpower not to grab Chara by their soul and slam them against a wall. "Yeah…" he tried not to growl. "It's a real mystery…"

"Did you find anything… interesting?" Chara asked then, their right hand slowly rising to their side where Sans remembered vividly they had once tucked their knife into the band of their shorts. After the failed suicide ritual, Chara had escaped from the hospital and ran all the way home just to get that damned red knife, and tore a bloody swathe from New Home into the CORE looking for Frisk who had stopped them from trying the ritual again.

Even though Chara had only been a young teen, their magic had made them impervious to most physical forms of restraint. They had killed everyone they came across. Sans remembered all too vividly the number of times he'd been stabbed in the throat or had an artery slashed, only for it to happen again and again. Only Frisk had finally been able to subdue them with Sans' help and the support of their friends. The red knife had fallen into the CORE basin, and Chara had been dragged away, unable to overcome Frisk and try again on their own terms. Sans could remember having died several times while Frisk was trying to make the White Dove Union come to peace with Delta, but he'd died far more by Chara's hand.

As the memories continued to flood back, Sans grew angrier and angrier, and Chara's little smile became almost… sweet. Sickly sweet.

"No," Sans finally answered quietly. "Nothing…"

"Look again… I'm sure there's an answer somewhere." Chara knew. They wanted it back, but from so far away, they could only pull it out of the basin. Out of the basin, and right into that stupid doctor's ribs… "I hope Dr. Carter is okay."

 _Yeah, I bet you fucking do, you little-_ "We all do… Speaking of, I better get going… Just wanted to stop by for a sec." Sans glanced to Toriel, and he could see she hadn't caught on at all to the mental battle silently raging between her child and her longtime friend. Good. She didn't need to know yet. However, Sans could see out of the corner of his eye that Avery looked a bit anxious. "See you soon, kiddo," Sans murmured, about to turn and walk out quickly.

"Before you go…" Chara said softly, stepping forward. Pure molten hate was burning in Sans' chest as Chara opened their arms for a goodbye hug and they smiled so sweetly. _You motherfucking little demon…_ Chara knew Sans might break if he touched them. They wanted him to break, just to make him look like the true offender. And even if he didn't, they'd leave him trapped in a silent rage until he could get away and go blast a tree to splinters to get it all out.

Sans wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of a breakdown, so he stepped forward slowly, forcing back a shiver when Chara's arms wrapped around his shoulders. They were strangely cold, too thin, and Sans hated having to actually wrap his own arms around their middle. But what he hated most was the familiarity. They were the same shape as Frisk, just slimmer. It made Sans feel sick to think of.

He was about to pull back when he felt Chara's fingers press just a little more firmly against his back. Their quiet, sing-song voice murmured, "Say hi to Frisk for me…" The scar on Sans' chest began blazing then and he pulled back a little too quickly.

"Yeah… bye, kid." He turned and practically fled from the room, following the signs on the walls back to the waiting room. He forgot the door would be locked, grabbing the handle and tugging. He was on the verge of an outright panic attack. He needed Frisk. Why the hell wasn't the door opening?

"Sir?" Sans jumped back suddenly, seeing a guard behind the glass in the security booth next to him. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, yes. I'm fine," Sans answered far too quickly. He took a deep breath then, trying to put his usual calm façade back on. "S-Sorry. I just- I gotta get home. I'm late," he lied.

"Sure. I remember seeing you come in. Should be unlocked now."

"Thanks…" Sans turned the handle and the door squeaked slightly as he forced himself to walk through, not run or jog.

"Sans?" He heard Toriel's voice behind him, and he looked back to see she'd followed him. He held the door, but the moment she caught it, he kept going. "Sans, what's the matter? What happened?"

"I gotta go home, Tori."

"Sans, answer me."

"Not here," he nearly growled, pausing to turn and fix her with a warning gaze.

"... Then call me later and explain yourself," Toriel demanded quietly, and Sans barely nodded before turning back toward the exit.

"Later…"

The quiet of Sans' truck was unsettling as it rolled down the highway back toward Echo. He tried not to fiddle with his phone, but he wanted so badly to call Frisk and just hear their voice. At the same time, he was petrified of seeing them again and seeing more similarities to Chara. Why the hell did his partner and a goddamned demon from hell have to look almost exactly alike? Why did no one else see Chara was just faking this whole 'rehabilitation' thing? Who the fuck let them have those flowers?

 _Shit_. Sans hit the emergency lights on his dashboard and pulled over, quickly pulling up his phone. He turned on his 4G data and skimmed a search engine for the mental hospital's number. Copying the number for Dr. Avery Thyme's assistant, he pasted it into the dialer and hit 'call.'

"Dr. Avery's office, this is Hannah Jacques," a feminine voice answered after two rings.

"Listen," Sans said quickly, "Thyme has a patient named Chara Dreemurr. They're growing Echo and Golden flowers in their room. Take them away."

"Who is this?"

"Write this down. Echo flower oil contains high concentrations of cyanide, enough in one flower to kill a fucking elephant if eaten. Golden flower oil has a neurotoxin- tetrodotoxin- almost exactly the same as a blowfish, and can shut down the nervous system if it gets anywhere near the mouth or eyes. You got that?"

"I-… what? Who are you?"

"Just write it down and tell the fucking doctor! Cyanide and tetrodotoxin!" Sans hit 'end call' before the secretary could ask any more questions, and quickly dialed Gaster's number before throwing his truck back into drive and peeling out off the shoulder of the highway.

"W.D. Gaster," came his father's usual answer.

"Dad, it's fucking Chara. I'm sure of it now."

"What? How?"

"They knew about the knife, they knew about Aria… It's them. Goddammit, my chest feels like it's on fucking fire…"

"Are you alright? What did they do?"

"Nothing, not physically, anyway. Is Frisk there?"

"No, they went with Undyne and Alphys to pick up groceries for Aria."

"They're not alone… good…"

"You need to get back here and we need to figure this out… I've been getting calls all day, people asking about what they saw when we brought Aria out… I don't know if I can keep this quiet, Sans."

"We'll figure it out. Call Asgore, he's the guy who knows how to cover that stuff up. And when Frisk gets back, make sure they're okay… I think Chara's figuring out how to use their magic again after Frisk took it away."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm feeling it right now, Dad. My chest doesn't burn like this on its own."

"Just get back here. Is Toriel safe?"

"I don't think Chara's gonna attack Toriel, especially not with orderlies and guards around. But they were growing Echo and Golden flowers."

"What?! Who let them-"

"I asked myself the same thing, but I told their doctor's secretary about them- albeit probably way too quickly. But she knows they're dangerous. And with Chara's history, they'll take the flowers away."

"Sans, I'm going to ask again… are you okay?"

"No, Dad, I'm not fucking okay. I just took a massive trip down memory lane and found out the fucking devil attacked your girlfriend. Sounds pretty goddamned dandy, doesn't it?"

"I need you to focus, son. Be angry all you want- I'm about ready to break something myself- but focus. Losing your mind now won't help anyone. We need to figure out how to contain Chara again, and how they're doing this. They can't be very powerful right now… I… I'm worried they're not the only thing effecting the CORE."

"… What else could it be?" Sans asked after a long moment, stopping a little too fast at a red light.

"I don't know. But Chara has never been strong enough to manipulate the CORE. They tried once back then, but all they caused was a small short-circuit in one of the capacitor banks. The CORE is too powerful for them to break down like this."

"Is there anyone who _is_ strong enough?"

"You or I might be able to cause a small explosion, but the backup systems would take care of that. You and Papyrus and I all together might be able to shut down the entire main bank, but the physical damages… We'd have to actually attack the pipes and cables to do that damage. I don't know of anyone strong enough to cause such failures without actual magical energy attacks."

"Fuck… So there's no theories. Nothing. We can't find any mechanical failures or natural causes, and Chara's just responsible for some electrical issues and Aria. We've got fucking nothing."

"I'm afraid so."

"… I guess it's time for me to come back to the lab, then."

"Sans, I don't know if-"

"I need to figure this out, Dad. Delta is dependent on the CORE. I need to know where Chara's influence ends and where something bigger begins. And if this kind of stuff is happening in the CORE… who's to say it won't start happening on a larger scale? If it's not related to the geothermal activity or the earth, maybe it's just tech, electrics, or even metals in general? What if someone's water heater explodes for no reason? What if a phone blows up in someone's hand? How fucking big could this get?"

"I won't believe circumstances like that until I see them… but you're right. This could be deeper than the CORE itself. And the thought of other strange phenomena is... unsettling."

"Get me a security pass and an ID for the lab and the CORE. I'll let Undyne know I'm done with the whole sentry thing until further notice. I don't care if it gets me fired. I'll go back to mixing drinks when this is over for all I care."

"It'll be good to have you back, son."

"Yeah… maybe I'll even stick around this time. Listen, I gotta drive. I'll see you in a bit. Just… look after everyone, okay?"

"Of course. Drive safely."

"Bye, Dad."


	19. INTERIM MESSAGE 3: Art & Fanart!

Hey, friends and muffins!

If you only follow me here on FFN, you're missing out on a lot of art for Snowdin Family and CORE Data! I regularly upload digital paintings of characters from the stories, including a Don G!Sans, Mettaton, Papyrus, Frisk, and hopefully Kitten and Lucida soon! If you'd like to see them, consider following me on Tumblr, DeviantArt, and Twitter! My main gallery is on DeviantArt, but I usually upload my work onto the other sites too. And if you enjoy watching the creation of these paintings, consider following me on PicartoTV so you know when I stream! I won't be streaming much this summer, but until then, I'll be on every so often!

FFN doesn't allow the posting of most links, but thankfully my username is the same everywhere! Just search for TaiylorWallace or taiylorwallace on the mentioned sites! And if you do come to follow me from FFN, let me know! I'll be happy to have you.

I'm also taking commissions as of late, details for which you can find on my DeviantArt journals. I take DA points and .

I'd also like to take this moment to say thank-you to my partner in crime Trefoil-Underscore, the writer of CORE, aka Ambertale. She has been my most vocal fan of CORE Data, and she's made fanart of it! She also regularly joins me in my streams and we plod around after each other on Tumblr from time to time. She's pretty fantastic and I highly recommend CORE. Sans is a sassy little bastard, Grillby's a sassy big bastard, and Gaster is a special kind of lovable airhead. I've done a commission based on the story, as well as fanart of the Crawlers!

I want to thank all of you who follow CORE Data and Snowdin Family as well (and if you follow one, I think you'll like the other too). I can't describe to you how much it means to me every time I see a new review with someone gushing about the story, or see a new favorite and especially new follows! I read every comment and I love to talk to my readers, so feel free to speak up! If you join me on my other sites where it's easier to talk to you, I'd be glad to chat with you about the stories! Trefoil knows I like talking about them especially.

Have a fantastic day, and good luck to my fellow college students stressing over finals! I'm losing my mind over here, but all I want to do is paint and write. See you guys around, and enjoy the new chapters!

-TRW


	20. Comfort 1223209X Pre6

"Hi, baby. What's up?"

"Hey, Mom… uh… Gods, I hate to ask, but-"

"How much?"

"… What?"

…

December 23rd, 209X

…

"How much do you need, and what happened?" Undyne ducked her head in shame, though Maurette Wagner's voice remained calm and even on the other end.

"I got into a little… accident. It… I've got most of it covered-"

"Undyne," Maurette cut her off sternly.

"… Two-hundred plus tax…" Undyne admitted, feeling a hot wash of embarrassment come to her face. She picked at the zipper of her leather jacket, the chill in her bones still making her shiver despite the warm auto shop she stood in. Gods, they'd waited hours for that wrecker…

"How much in total?" Undyne paused at that.

"I've got it, Ma…"

"How much?" Maurette demanded, her Davanian accent growing a little stronger and telling Undyne she was not in the mood for being run around any answers.

"A eight-hundred something... They gotta replace the front axle."

"That's not so bad, then. Are you okay?" Maurette's voice softened and Undyne felt her shoulders relax slightly.

"Some bruises, a little whiplash."

"Anyone else?"

"Al was with me, she's about the same. EMTs already cleared us. The other guy, though… he got some broken ribs and his car's totaled."

"Whose fault?"

"His. He was almost black-out drunk. T-boned us in an intersection off-campus."

"What a fucking idiot…" Undyne was caught off-guard by the venom in those words, yet how calmly Maurette said them. Maurette sighed to herself and Undyne heard her begin to move around. "I'll be there soon. Which shop?"

"You don't have to-"

"I'm going to."

"It's a three-hour-"

"Don't question me, young lady. My little girl just got wrecked far away from home with her sweet girlfriend. I'm not about to sit at home and listen to the aftermath. You may be an adult, but you're still young and I'm still your mother. I'm going to come help you. You've never done this before." Undyne went quiet for a moment after that, but a little smile came to her tired face.

"… Thanks, Ma."

"You just sit tight, tell them to hold the bill until repairs are finished. Grab a taxi back to Alphys' place and look after yourselves. I'll be there as soon as I can. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you, baby."

"Love you too, Ma. See you soon."

"Bye, sweetheart."

"Bye."

After Undyne put her phone away, she felt two small arms wrap around one of her own, and she looked down to see her curvy little girlfriend with her big round glasses and oversized duffle coat. "W-What did she say?" Alphys asked softly, blushing lightly when Undyne brushed her soft blonde hair back and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"She decided to be my hero. Again. She's gonna help me pay for it. I'm not gonna let her pay the whole thing- I'm sure she'll try… And she's coming up here to help me sort this all out."

"Your mom's the best," Alphys smiled, hugging Undyne around the waist.

"Did you call yours?"

"… N-Not yet. I don't want t-to make her worry…"

"You gotta call her. She'll flip if she hears about this later on and finds out you kept it secret."

"Yeah…" When Alphys made no move to take out her phone, Undyne chuckled.

"Want me to call her first?"

"… W-would you?"

"Sure. But you owe me." Undyne took Alphys' phone and found 'MOM' in her contacts list and hit 'call.' She settled on a bench against the wall, Alphys curled into her side, and listened to the phone ring. On the third tone, it finally picked up but it was a male voice that answered.

"Dr. Carter's phone. This is Dr. Gaster."

"Oh, hey, Doc. Is Aria around?"

"She's running a test on the new titanium geothermal steam turbines above the CORE basin."

"… Okay, I'll pretend I understood anything beyond the word 'testing.' I need to talk to her."

"Of course. I'll take over for her."

"You're the best, Doc."

"Mhm. Here. _Aria, take a break. It's Undyne. No, I'll handle it. She called from Alphys' phone, so talk to her."_

Aria quickly took the phone and answered. "Hello? Undyne? Where's Alphys?"

"Hi, Aria. First of all, chill out, it's fine. She's right next to me. But I wanted to talk to you first so you don't freak out."

"Freak out? What? What happened?! Is she okay?! Are you okay? What-"

"Aria. Breathe. We're fine. We just had a little accident."

"What do you mean 'accident?' Oh, you're not hurt, are you? Please don't tell me-"

"Breathe, lady. Believe me when I say we're good, okay? The car took all the damage. We're just a little sore."

"Okay… okay… What happened, exactly…?"

"Some drunk guy hit us in an intersection, took out my front axle. We're at the auto shop right now. My Ma's coming up to help me figure all of this out. I've got Al and she's perfectly safe. She's probably less bruised up than me, the truck hit on my side."

"I'm glad you're okay, then… I mean, Alphys is my little girl, but I'd be absolutely heartbroken if something happened to you."

"Aw, I didn't know you liked me."

"Oh, hush. You know I adore you. Maurette and I have been friends since we were little girls. Now, as much as I do love you, I need to hear Alphys' voice for the sake of my poor heart."

"Yeah. Just don't get too crazy on her."

"Just hand the phone over, Undyne. You're so troublesome."

"Love you too." Undyne smiled down at Alphys and gave her the phone. While Alphys quietly assured her mother of everything Undyne had said, and relayed the whole story of the police and EMTs and the drunk driver, Undyne leaned back on the bench and checked her own phone again to see there was a text from Papyrus. Undyne hadn't even thought to call him. They'd just left dinner with him about ten minutes before the crash, and he would've been expecting a text when Undyne got home. He always expected her to let him know her journeys went safely, even if it was just a short drive from the academy to get coffee.

 _Make it home okay?_ he had typed, and Undyne quickly tapped a message back.

 _not quite, got into an accident but we're good._

 _WHAT_

 _it's fine, promise._

 _I heard on the news there was a crash… someone was hurt!_

 _drunk guy, yeah. but we're okay. in the shop, gonna call a taxi._

 _No you're not! I'll be there in twenty minutes!_

 _you don't have to, paps._

 _As your best friend (other than Alphys, of course!) I must! Don't move!_

 _you're the best._

 _Sans doesn't call me The Great Papyrus for nothing! And I'm off!_

Undyne grinned to herself at that, tucking the phone away once more just as Alphys said goodbye to her mother and let out a deep breath.

"Well, that w-wasn't so bad," Alphys said with a breathy chuckle.

"I softened her up for you. Pap is coming to pick us up. He insisted."

"My place or yours?" Alphys asked, leaning her head on Undyne's shoulder and looking up at her.

"Considering pretty much all my stuff is at your place except the furniture…"

"Oh, yeah… I-it's so weird when I remember… you're actually moving in with me…" A blush came to Alphys' face at that. "Gosh, s-sometimes I forget I actually have a r-real girlfriend and sh-she actually wants t-to-to _live_ with me. In a house… Together."

"Al, I've been crashing at your place more often than not for like… three years. Even when we just started dating properly, I stayed at your house most weekends."

"I-I can't believe you actually waited for me to finish college, a-and you still wanted me then, after four whole years. And you… you still want me now…"

"Damn right I do." Undyne leaned down and pressed a kiss to the smaller woman's lips, making Alphys' whole face go beet-red. They had first admitted their crushes on each other thanks to their friend Frisk almost eight years prior, but Alphys, having finished high school at fourteen, was going to college in Echo and she was afraid of ruining any chance at a relationship by getting too involved in her studies. So Undyne had told her in no uncertain terms that they couldn't date until Alphys was sure she wanted to. Alphys had secured her first doctorate in the time it took others to get a Bachelor's degree, and even though she planned to continue school, she finally had the courage to ask Undyne out and Undyne hadn't hesitated to accept. Their relationship was easy and casual, having known each other since they were toddlers and having gotten close as teens. Even so, Alphys was still constantly overwhelmed by the very fact that Undyne loved her and wanted to be with her.

By the time Papyrus drove up in the red sports car he'd built himself, Alphys had begun to doze off against Undyne's side. She was quickly startled awake when Papyrus burst in through the door and bellowed, "Undyne! I have arrived!" All eyes in the shop turned toward the tall, lean, and handsome Royal Guard trainee in his tight black t-shirt and tan cargo pants and combat boots. His white coat and red scarf and gloves had been hastily thrown on, the jacket hanging open and the scarf in danger of slipping off his shoulders. Not seeing Undyne anywhere in front of him, Papyrus scratched his scruffy chin in confusion. "Huh…"

An arm suddenly snatched Papyrus down and a fist messed up his short dark hair. "Ah! Please don't noogie the chauffeur!" He laughed as Undyne squeezed him against her side.

"Rule number five, Pap- never be caught off-guard!"

"I wasn't off-guard! If anyone else would've put me in a headlock, I would've flipped them like you taught me!" Once she let go, Papyrus stood up straight and combed his hair back into place with his fingers.

"Uh-huh, sure. Now get us the hell out of here. It smells like oil and B.O." Undyne looked up at him with her hands on her hips and he gave her an innocent smile.

"Well, you were working on the Jeeps earlier…" Seeing Undyne take a step toward him, Papyrus instantly fled back out the door.

"Oh, you're gonna get it!" Undyne called after him, chasing him toward his car and stopping short in awe when Papyrus took a flying leap over the entire hood of the car and hid. "Shit, since when can you jump like that?"

"A good Royal Guardsman practices in everything, of course!" Papyrus stated, popping back up and puffing out his chest. "I do all kinds of jumping! Long-jump, hurdles, high-jump, pole-va- Augh!" Papyrus suddenly spluttered when a wet snowball hit him right between the eyes. "Undyne!"

"Rule one of Disney movies, Pap. Never monologue," Undyne laughed, tucking her hands into her jacket pockets as Alphys came to her side. Undyne neatly ducked a snowball thrown back at her, but wasn't expecting another to suddenly hit her from behind. She whipped around and spotted Papyrus' older, shorter, and much stockier brother.

"'Ey, Undyne," Sans grinned, another snowball already in his hand, the opposite hand tucked into this usual blue hoodie with a plastic bag full of drinks hanging off his arm. He looked like hell, dark rings under his eyes, his dark hair messy, and the blonde stripe above his right eye showing its dark roots. He'd probably been working late again at the lab.

"And what're you doing here?" Undyne asked, turning to him with crossed arms.

"Came long to grab some stuff from the gas station. Got you and Al your favorite." Sans let the snowball drop and he approached. He pulled a bottle of Alphys' favorite brand of soda out of the bag and handed it to her with a smile, and then gave Undyne a bottle of her favorite raspberry tea. "Get in and we'll get you home, huh?"

"Thanks, Sans," Alphys smiled sweetly to him, kissing his cheek.

"Yeah, thanks, shorty," Undyne chuckled, getting into the back seats with Alphys while Sans took the front and Papyrus slipped into the driver's seat. While it was a sports car, Papyrus had been excited at the idea of being able to drive with friends, so he'd made sure there was plenty of room. He would've built a convertible limo to fit them all if he could have.

Once on their way, Sans tossed a small pill bottle back into Alphys' lap. "Take a couple of those, both of you."

"What? Why?" Alphys asked.

"I can see you in the rearview rubbing your neck, Al. It know it's gotta hurt. Whiplash sucks. You'll probably need ibuprofen for a couple days."

"You're the best, Sans," Alphys smiled, watching as Sans flashed his own usual grin at them in the mirror.

Undyne and Alphys finally settled onto the couch almost an hour later. They'd welcomed the boys in for a while to see what was new as Undyne moved into Alphys' home, and to see some of the plans for renovating one of the rooms to be a small gym space. Undyne flopped over on the couch just as Alphys sat down, laying her head in Alphys' lap. Undyne couldn't help a little smile when she felt Alphys play with her long red hair. Gods, she loved this nerd. That thought crossed Undyne's mind almost every day when Alphys was just being her usual self.

"You look pretty tired, babe," Undyne murmured, studying Alphys' half-closed eyes and listening to her breathing slowing as she grew sleepy.

"Only a little. But I want to be awake when your Mom gets here."

"Come on," Undyne sat up and pulled Alphys down to lay beside her. "Twenty minutes won't ruin us." Undyne reached for a blanket, but when she looked back, she saw Alphys' face had turned red again. "What?"

"N-nothing."

"Al," Undyne chuckled as she realized why Alphys was suddenly bashful. "We sleep in the same damned bed, babe. You can't get nervous every time I lay down next to you."

"I-I know… It's just… last time we… s-slept on the couch…" Alphys curled up tightly in embarrassment.

"Oh my god, Alphys," Undyne laughed, flopping back down beside her. "We've been sleeping together for three years, and you _still_ blush like crazy when you think about sex?"

"N-No…" Alphys insisted despite the clear evidence on her face. Undyne turned on her side, still giggling to herself as she propped her head up on her hand. "What…?"

"You're just fucking adorable," Undyne stated, grinning when Alphys covered her face and mumbled something incoherent. When she had the courage to peek out at Undyne again, she saw Undyne's grin had become a smirk.

"… Now what…?"

"We could make the couch a thing, y'know."

"Oh my god…" Alphys couldn't help a laugh, but tried to climb over Undyne and escape. Undyne caught her around the waist, eliciting a squeak from the small woman before Undyne silenced her with an adoring kiss as Alphys fell limp on top of her. Alphys could only move her hands to cup Undyne's angled jaw, her breath completely stolen away. Undyne had a knack for doing that to her at any moment she pleased.

When their lips parted, Undyne's smirk returned, softer then. "We've got a couple hours, y'know…"

"Is that enough?" Alphys asked softly, her blush remaining but the embarrassment subsiding at the warm look in Undyne's eye.

"It's enough for me to have some fun at the very least," Undyne promised, turning them both and placing Alphys' back to the cushions. As terribly unsure and afraid as Alphys could be in the realm of love, even with a dedicated girlfriend of four years, Alphys knew well that Undyne would take care of her and never push her. And that made Alphys even more willing to let Undyne do as she pleased. Alphys shivered at a kiss pressed to her neck. Her fingers spread out over Undyne's back, and she smiled to herself at just how lucky she was.


	21. Union 0604200X Pre 7

_Summary from the historical research of Professor Gerson T. Drake on the history of the country of Delta, 'The Origin of the Delta Rune.' Completed 201X._

 _…_

 **Published June 4** **th** **, 200X in** ** _Chronicles of the Rune_** **Annual Historic Journal, Vol. 219**

…

 **The Origin of the Delta Rune Part 4- The White Dove Union**

In the year 1700AD, as a celebration of the new century and of peace across the western hemisphere, twelve countries of varying power and size came together to write a lasting declaration of sisterhood. On December 24th, as the twelve leaders' Christmas present to their people, the White Dove Union was formed. Its members spanned across the mid-western continent of Kuros, but also included the tiny country of Delta on the eastern coast of the Trine continent to Kuros' west. Delta had always been a symbol of peace, their purple banner with the winged delta having overlooked all manner of gatherings and meetings of kinship. The roots of the White Dove Union can be traced to our King's ancestor, Queen Lestelle of House Dreemurr. It written that she first proposed the idea at the end of a long, horrible war between Kuros and its eastern neighbor, the continent of Chasana.

Having watched the waste of more than thirty-million lives over the previous ten years, and with an unfair treaty that left a bitter taste in the mouths of all involved, practically the entire world was desperate for peace. Even those who had not been involved in the fighting were weary, having stood on edge for so long expecting to be sucked into the maelstrom. It was the combined efforts of Queen Lestelle Dreemurr of Delta, Prime Minister Wyatt Nath of Ariadne, and Prince Jan Holgeir of Breslin that brought the recovering fighters together. They managed to smooth out the peace treaty between Kuros and Chasana, and some countries of Chasana even joined in the White Dove Union in a gesture of friendship to Kuros.

Once the Union was formed, peace lasted for nearly fifty years for each member until a similar Union of Chasanan countries arose. This alliance, calling themselves the Eastern Union, accused White Dove member Breslin of assassinating a Chasanan leader. War nearly followed, until Lestelle's successor and son, King Brollam Dreemurr, brought both unions together to understand the problem. Three years of back-and-forth communication under Brollam ended up revealing that one of the Eastern Union's own countries had planned the assassination. Both Unions ended up supporting a growing rebellion in the country, and the resulting new elected leader gladly joined back in with the peaceful alliances.

The Unions ended up merging, taking the White Dove name in respect for King Brollam and Queen Lestelle before him. Brollam suddenly passed away before the merge was officially announced, but his will spoke of how proud he was of the human race in his lifetime. He had seen two great powers nearly come to blows, only to put their heads together and avoid bloodshed and work for the good of the common people rather than the good of the rich and powerful. Brollam counted the merging of the White Dove Union, then thirty-five countries strong, as the greatest cultural achievement in all of human history.

Sadly, Brollam's praise did not end up applying to the next generations of White Dove leaders. His granddaughter Lydia and her husband Roran had just taken the Delta throne when the Union set its sights southward on the half-wild, arid continent of Danane. All of Delta grew more and more concerned as the Union began making advances southward, showing considerable force and aggression to the Native people. Delta, having dealt with foreign mistreatment of their own Native people in the past, was understandably hurt.

When Lydia and Roran came together with the other leaders in the annual Olive Branch Convention, Delta was met with greed and hunger unlike they had ever seen before. The Union's advancing soldiers were masquerading as 'peaceful explorers' and 'diplomatic envoys' to the Native Dani people. And when Roran called the Union out on this behavior, he was denounced as mad and aggressive. Lydia was drowned out by the sheer power of patriarchy in the council of leaders, told that her title as Queen, even as Brollam and Lestelle's successor, was ceremonial. Roran flew into a rage at the treatment of his wife, and the royal couple were thrown out of the convention along with any leaders who stood alongside them. But this had all been a part of the Union's plan, to throw out the 'peace-mongers' so that they wouldn't be able to vote on the decision to forcefully annex Danane and split it among the aggressive Union members.

Returning to Delta, Roran and Lydia were met with more problems. Their young son had fallen victim to a tuberculosis epidemic, their western anarchist neighbor Arida was growing restless and vicious, and to top it all off, the economy was falling into a slump. Young Prince Pharan, named for Roran's father, died the day the economy outright crashed thanks to over-lending by the banks. Two days later, Roran found Lydia hanging in her private library. A letter left behind told him she had miscarried their second child, and without Pharan and with disaster on the horizon, she couldn't bear to live any longer.

Roran never married again, and with no other children, he died alone twenty years later of fever. His successor was Lydia's only living relative- a thirty-year old upstart of a brother named Kainon. Having never been taught the ways of royalty, Kainon's start was shaky but his brash and direct nature combined with his honesty and impatience for liars quickly made him a hero in the eyes of the poor who had deceived for so long by the rich.

Delta managed to slowly recover under Kainon, but he was not seen as a legitimate ruler by the White Dove Council thanks to being second-born. For ten years, he wasn't allowed at the Olive Branch Conventions. The eleventh year, he finally stormed into the meeting chamber and took Lydia's seat where it had sat empty for so long. He would not be removed, and so the Union called a premature end to the convention. Kainon immediately knew the aggressive members would meet in secret, and he called them out for the entire world to see in print. The Union named this an act of treason, but Kainon countered that they were the treasonous ones, betraying their own name in waging war and genocide on the Native people of Danane and stripping peaceful countries of their votes. The Union could not silence Kainon with words, and so they silenced him with bullets.

On the first day of the new century, King Kainon Dreemurr was shot through the chest at his own wedding reception while dancing with his new wife Carin. Carin was wounded in the shoulder when the bullet passed through Kainion's left lung, and he collapsed in her arms coughing up blood. According to articles written by those present, Kainon died with blood on his lips, saying to his new wife, "Take care of Delta, love. And she'll take care of you. You're her Queen now." Carin could hardly be pulled away from Kainon for medical treatment, and her screams of heart-wrenching agony haunted the hospital for a whole night before she went silent for three days.

A week later at his funeral, a White Dove emissary appeared to lay and envelope in Carin's hands. Surrounded by her bodyguards, Carin opened the letter, read it quietly, and then suddenly pulled a rifle from one of her guardians to shoot the emissary point-blank in the chest. Reporters wrote that she stepped over the body with the gun in one hand and the letter in the other, and approached Kainon's grave. Pressing a kiss to her fingers, she touched the headstone and whispered, "An eye for an eye, sweetheart" before walking away with all her bodyguards in tow without any explanation.

The next day, the truth was learned. The emissary had been none other than the right-hand man of the Prime Minister of Doria. Said Prime Minister was one of the leading members of the White Dove Union. The letter had been a declaration of exile and war from the Union itself, as well as Doria's claim to Kainon's demise.

The Union was not expecting Delta to hold its own.


	22. Gather Pt13

"Sans is no fool. If he sees a threat in Chara, I believe him."

"That little fucking-"

"… William…?"

"Yes, Frisk?"

"He should be back by now."

…

 **February 8** **th** **, 213X**

…

"Looks like he got cut across the chest somehow. Otherwise, he's just fine. Clipped a tree, but it's all pretty minor. He'll be out in a second, just double-checking with a professional that he's alright."

"Thank you, officer," Frisk nodded with a sigh of relief. Sans had been missing for two whole hours before Gaster received the call that his elder son had been in a car accident. Frisk had hardly been able to breathe- despite the officer's reassurance that Sans was fine- until they reached the hospital. And Frisk only truly relaxed when Sans himself came walking into the waiting room escorted by a nurse. As requested, Gaster had brought him fresh clothes which he was now wearing- the others bloodied from the cut across his chest. Sans didn't raise his gaze from the floor at all, stepping forward slowly to wrap his arms around Frisk's waist and bury his face against their chest.

The nurse spoke quietly with Gaster for a few minutes while Frisk kissed Sans' temple and draped their arms around him. "Hi, baby," they whispered. "Ready to go home?"

"Mhm…" Sans closed his eyes when Frisk's fingers combed soothingly through his hair. He felt sick, unable to shake Chara's face from his mind. Why did they have to look so much like Frisk? Why did they have to feel like Frisk? Why, of all the people he knew, did that demonic little shit have to be like Sans' own partner?

Sans murmured something against their chest, but it was too muffled to understand. Frisk pulled back a bit. "What was that…?"

"They knew everything…" Sans repeated quietly. "It's Chara… They knew about the knife… They knew about the fucking knife, Frisk." His dead tone grew a shade angry, and Frisk lifted a hand to his cheek, making him pause for a moment.

"Not here, Sans. We're going back to Aria's place. William told us what you said on the phone."

Sans only nodded, and Gaster motioned them along as the nurse let them be. Everything was in order and Sans didn't need to stay at the hospital any longer for the minor- though large- cut. Gaster wanted to talk to his son, but seeing the absolutely exhausted younger man's expression, he kept silent. They all climbed into Gaster's black sedan- Frisk and Sans together in the back- and Gaster drove off toward Aria's home on the north end of Echo. The ride was silent, and whenever Gaster glanced back through the rearview, he saw Sans never moved, just slumped against Frisk's side. Just once, Sans caught Gaster's gaze in the glass, and Gaster caught a glimpse of a purple glow. Sans was deeply distressed, and it worried Gaster. His son had always been stressed and depressed under that relaxed façade. Breaking such a carefully-crafted mask took far more than a minor crash.

Gaster pulled into the paved driveway before the pale green house just as snow began to drift down from the half-grey sky, but the sun was still shining brightly, high in the west. Frisk and Sans walked inside together with Gaster just behind, and Sans paused at the sight of Alphys and Undyne sitting at the table with two unexpected additions. Aria was home already, and beside her was the formidable Maurette Wagner- Undyne's mother. Like Undyne, she was tall and lean and well-toned, but her hair was a dark brown with a few silvery streaks here and there. She was fairly pale like Undyne with the same dark eyes, but she was taller and not quite as broad.

The four at the table all looked up, and Sans paused when all eyes focused on him. Maurette stood and came around the table, and Frisk saw Sans' defenses begin to crumble. Sans' mother's two best friends had been Maurette and Aria, but Maurette was the closest living person to the woman Lucida Skjallar had been, being of a similar sensibility and background. It was no wonder that Sans saw her as a second mother, instead of an aunt like Aria.

"Sans Reily Skjallar. You had us worried sick." Maurette's firm and deep feminine tone matched her posture as she placed her hands on her hips. "Especially Frisk."

"I know…" Sans looked like a scolded puppy suddenly, something only Maurette and few others seemed to be able to do to him.

"Come here, sweetheart," Maurette murmured, her tough act fading instantly as she could see Sans' own usual mask was long gone. Sans left Frisk's side and Maurette wrapped him up in her arms with a kiss to his cheek. His own arms loosely draped around her. Sans wasn't one to mope in front of people, letting everyone know he was deeply upset. With Maurette's comfort- the closest to Lucida that Sans could hope for- Sans suddenly realized his eyes were brimming with tears. Maybe it was frustration, maybe it was fear. He couldn't tell.

Gaster quietly made his way to Aria's side and Frisk settled beside Undyne, smiling weakly when she took their hand. With some extra chairs from a closet, everyone was soon settled around the table shoulder-to shoulder, Sans between Maurette and Frisk. It was Gaster who broke the silence.

"I told everyone what you told me. Mettaton and Papyrus too- they're on their way. I suggest we hold off too much discussion before they arrive, that way everyone's on the same page. But Sans… you may want to tell everyone what you told me at the hospital when we were alone."

Sans lifted his head, and with a sigh, he unzipped his hoodie and began unbuttoning his shirt to reveal bandages carefully taped across his chest from his right shoulder to the bottom of his ribs on the left. He winced as he peeled the bandages away, revealing that they were completely clean though the scar was much darker than before. He crumpled up the bandages and tossed them into a bin near the table, letting the others see what Chara had done to him.

"My chest started bleeding on the way back," Sans muttered. "That's why I crashed… I took my eyes off the road for a second when I felt my shirt getting wet. Thankfully, we got people who didn't ask too many questions. Dad took care of the cut, but…"

"It's been twelve years. How could it have bled?" Aria asked quietly, and Sans met her gaze.

"The same way a knife flew out on its own and got you, Aria. Sure as hell wasn't ghosts," Sans sighed as he rebuttoned his shirt.

"How could Chara have done those things, though? It's too far. Even people like Gaster and Asgore can't reach further than what they can see," Undyne countered.

"Who else _could_ it have been? Who else knew the knife fell into the basin?" Maurette asked with a shake of her head. "I remember the fight with that little monster. I've got my own scars from it. But the real question is how they're managing this. They can clearly wreak havoc without being present for it. And when the most powerful magic-users we know can't even do that, we have to figure out how to stop it."

"B-but Frisk took their abilities away. H-How could they get it all b-back?" Alphys murmured, and everyone- save Sans- looked to Frisk.

"I… I don't know. You all know I can't do much… maybe… maybe I only locked them away for a while. I only really took one ability from them… but that happened without us knowing until Chara couldn't use it anymore." Frisk nervously folded their hands. "I didn't know what I was doing back then, and no one else could do it either. No one knew it was possible to take someone else's power."

"I gave up trying to figure it out eight-odd years ago," Gaster sighed.

"You tried to repeat it?" Sans raised an eyebrow at his father.

"Tried and failed miserably because it was too dangerous to test on anyone. Aria offered to be the guinea pig, but I didn't want to risk taking away her abilities when she's my own safeguard and I'm hers if accidents happen in the lab and CORE. I considered asking Toriel or Alphys, but… with the memory of how awful the backlash was for Frisk… who's to say I- a magic-user much more in touch with my abilities- wouldn't be effected in worse ways? Who's to say more power is a safeguard? Altogether, there were too many variables to test safely, and with how odd a case Chara is with unpredictable magic, and how specific Frisk's power is, I had nothing really to go off of."

"It's better you didn't. It took me days to be able to walk again, and weeks before I was back to normal," Frisk murmured with a nod. "And there's no saying whether it could be permanent if you take someone else's power away."

"This is true… So it will remain untested, I'm afraid." Gaster looked up as there was a knock on the door, and Alphys rose to answer.

"Hello, darlings," Mettaton's lovely voice announced, and as he and Papyrus stepped in, the smell of cheese and toasted bread filled the room. They were carrying several bags marked with a local café's logo. "We brought food. A little bit of everything."

"So that's what took you so long," Undyne chuckled, giving Mettaton's raised eyebrow a smirk in return.

"I _did_ say we were making a stop. I figured our walking wounded would appreciate their favorite sandwiches." Mettaton and Papyrus set the bags on the counters, and Sans was almost immediately hugged tightly from behind by his much taller brother.

"I can't believe you didn't call me," Papyrus muttered against Sans' shoulder.

"I, uh… didn't have much to say… beyond what Dad told you."

Papyrus lifted his head, looking at Sans for a long moment and finding his brother looked even more tired than usual. Even when Frisk took his hand again, Papyrus saw Sans wouldn't make eye contact with them. "Okay, then…" Papyrus murmured, turning his attention to Maurette and Aria and greeting each of them as his beloved aunts. Sans closed his eyes feeling Mettaton's arms wrap around him too, his cool hands resting on Sans' chest.

"Are you okay, baby?" Mettaton whispered against his ear, and Sans felt his eyes sting. He hated that question. And whenever someone he loved deeply asked it, his shell would start to crack.

"Yeah…" Sans' answer was too quiet and too weak for Mettaton to believe him.

"Frisk, honey," Mettaton lifted his head to look at Sans' young partner. "Can I borrow him for a minute?"

"Go ahead. He needs it." Frisk could see it too. Even though Sans wanted to be close to them, he couldn't look at them.

"I'm fine," Sans repeated, even as Mettaton pulled him from the chair and off toward Aria's back room. "M, I'm okay…"

"You suck at lying when you're tired, Sans." Mettaton pushed him lightly toward a counter beside the washing machine, and Sans quietly pulled himself up to sit with his legs dangling off. Mettaton stepped up close as he could, his slender arms settling over Sans' shoulders, hands lightly clasped behind his head. Sans didn't react, his eyes still downcast until Mettaton leaned in close and kissed him square on the lips. Sans froze, eyes wide and his mind blank until he finally lifted both hands to push against Mettaton's chest. The younger man pulled back and his fingers trailed down Sans' thick arms, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Mettaton…" Sans whispered, eyes still wide in shock. "What… the fuck?"

"Are you awake now?" Mettaton questioned with one raised, perfectly-shaped dark brow.

"You're dating Pap. I… I'm with Frisk, for fuck's sake-"

"Shut up. That's for all the teasing. And besides, I don't intend to cheat on Papyrus. I just figured it'd clear that dumb head of yours."

Sans relaxed at that explanation. "Heh… guess it's payback for the time I did it to you, huh…?"

"Especially that," Mettaton nodded, his arms draping over Sans' shoulders again and laying his head against Sans'. "You cleared my head then, made me realize how dedicated I was to making things work with Papyrus."

"I was pretty lonely without you… but you two love each other. I would've given up a lot more than a friend with benefits for you guys to get over your insecurities and give yourselves a chance."

"Thank you for that," Mettaton whispered, kissing his cheek. "He means the world to me, but I don't have to give up anything of myself for him. He's perfect…"

"Glad you think so too." Sans leaned into Mettaton and let his arms rest on the younger man's back.

"Now…" Mettaton murmured after a long silence, pulling back to cup Sans' cheeks. "Tell me what's going on with you and Frisk."

"Nothing's wrong between us," Sans told him, and at Mettaton's sigh, Sans shook his head. "It's not… It's not Frisk. We're okay. It's… Chara."

"What do you mean 'it's Chara?' What did they do?"

"Plenty… but that's not really it… Chara… God, it's so stupid… they… they look like Frisk…"

"I remember they were practically twins as children…"

"They're a little less alike now, but… I got over them looking alike once Frisk grew up and I hadn't seen Chara for years… I didn't even think they'd still look similar when I walked in there… Chara's paler, a lot thinner, barely taller than me… They've got different eyes, obviously, but… when they smiled at me especially… I saw Frisk."

"That certainly explains why you can't look at them."

"I'll get over it… hopefully before they notice."

"If I know Frisk at all, sweetheart, they already noticed. They just haven't asked because you've got a lot on your mind and you're hurt."

"I'm not hurt…"

"Gaster said-"

"My scar started bleeding. The crash didn't do much to me."

"Bleeding?"

"Dad took care of it, but… yeah. It looked like Chara slashed me again."

"Oh my god…"

"I kinda… freaked out… But I'm okay now."

"Liar."

"Okay as I'm gonna be until I'm sure Chara can't ever mess with us again."

"Sans…" Mettaton sighed, hugging him tighter. "I'm sorry this is happening again, baby… I wish I knew how to fix it."

"Between Chara and the shit going on in the CORE… I wish someone- anyone- had some answers… But until we have something to work with… I'd appreciate your help." Mettaton pulled back to meet his gaze with a nod.

"Of course. As often as I can spare it. Papyrus and I already agreed we were going to support you all as much as we possibly could."

"Just don't neglect your own livelihoods in the process," Sans reminded him with a tiny, weak smile.

"My schedule's flexible, and Papyrus ought to be alright seeing as Undyne's involved too. She'll understand if he needs to take off to save one of you. She'll probably be right behind him." Mettaton took a step back, smoothing Sans' shirt and straightening his hoodie. "Now, you have a very worried partner waiting in the other room, probably wondering if they upset you, by the looks of their expression. I know it'll be hard to get over the whole Chara thing… but just remember, this is our Frisk. They're your partner and your best friend, and everyone's favorite little savior and support column. Once you can stand on your own, you might let them know how much they mean to you."

"Yeah… I should." Sans slipped down from the counter, earning one more kiss on his cheek before the two emerged and Mettaton gently directly him toward Frisk with a nudge. A sandwich wrapped in paper was waiting for him alongside a bottle of cola, and everyone was already eating. No one asked about the exchange in the back room. They all knew Sans and Mettaton were intimately close friends and former lovers. Papyrus and Frisk respected that longstanding relationship deeply, knowing where the men's hearts lay no matter how close they were or whether they still loved each other.

Papyrus welcomed Mettaton back with a little smile, his concern showing silently in his expression. Mettaton reassured him with a kiss and joined the table at his side. Their meal was quiet, only a few words exchanged here and there between couples or parents and their children. Maurette was the one to finally break the relative silence once all the plates and napkins were cleared away.

"So… since I think we're all up to date on what's going on… what are we going to do about Chara? I can't discuss much in the way of the CORE- I'm no scientist. But I'm still willing to help if I can."

"Chara seems to be the more immediate threat," Gaster muttered, glancing to Aria. She reached out to take his scarred hand. She hadn't said much all day, still a bit shell-shocked after her near-death experience.

"I agree… as long as things don't get worse in the CORE," Aria murmured. "I imagine some of the more… violent accidents were their doing. It seemed to be just machine failures up until very recently. And I don't see why Chara would be terribly interested in the CORE. It seems like they're more concerned with Sans and Frisk. They must've figured out that causing trouble in the power plant would attract Sans' attention."

"How would they know I have anything to do with it?" Sans asked quietly, meeting Aria's gaze across the table.

"I'm guessing once they evened out in the hospital, they might've started asking questions and watching the news. Odds are, they saw you working with us in the lab in reporter pieces, or maybe Toriel or Asgore talked about you thinking it was safe. I'm counting on the latter." Gaster rubbed his brow. "They may even know Frisk is your partner, which is… a problem, to say the least. But at least we know exactly where Chara is, and we can figure out how to safeguard against them."

"What can we do?" Undyne asked, her brows furrowed with worry.

"I… don't know yet. There's no one I know of in the hospital that understands the intricacies of magic or even knows people like us exist," Gaster sighed, shaking his head.

"Wh-what if we spoke to their doctor? He m-might find it hard to believe us, and it'd b-be a risk… but-"

"For safety's sake, I don't think so, dear," Maurette interrupted. "Even if we prove Chara's abilities to him, he could tell others and put us all in danger. Even Asgore wouldn't be able to help if that knowledge got out."

"That little bastard knows they have us backed into a corner," Undyne growled. "They've had years to think of all this. How much do you wanna bet they've already thought through every idea we're gonna come up with?"

"Then we may not have many options beyond an all-out fight," Maurette shook her head.

"What about Asriel?" Frisk asked softly. "Chara was obsessed with getting back to him back then. What if that hasn't changed?"

"The kid could be pretty unstable if Chara's involved," Sans added. "He's steady otherwise, but… Even the idea of Chara makes him shut down."

"We need to let Toriel and Asgore know, if only for Asriel's sake. They won't want to believe it, but I'm afraid this time, they'll have to choose a side," Gaster rubbed his temples as he spoke. "I'm not looking forward to that fight."

"We can't reason with Chara?" Papyrus spoke up, ever the naïve optimist even as all eyes turned to him, save Frisk's. They looked down, willing the influx of memories to go away. Papyrus had felt the same about Frisk back then, even when Frisk had taken the White Dove Union's side. He'd thought he could bring peace, but the only peace he ever found was at the smoking end of a rifle outside Snowdin.

"Papy, darling. I love that you want to resolve this amicably for everyone," Mettaton sighed, taking his hand. "But Chara's gone too far too many times."

"Everyone's capable of being good," Papyrus insisted. "We just have to figure out how…"

"It's too much of a risk, Pap," Sans told him. "And I don't want you playing hero, you got it?"

"I… I suppose…" Papyrus leaned against Mettaton's side. "I just don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"I know, bro. But we have to pick the lesser evil, here," Sans reminded him, and Frisk closed their eyes. They remembered that phrase, that last call with Sans before he joined the rest of Delta in rising up against the Union. Frisk never heard from any of them again after that.

"Frisk?" Came Aria's soft voice, and they picked their head up quickly.

"What? Sorry, I… I was thinking," Frisk explained quickly, brushing a lock of their long dark hair back from their face.

"You look pale, sweetheart," Mettaton commented, and that made Sans finally look up at Frisk. Mettaton was right. They'd lost most of their color, like they'd been terrified by something.

"Babe?" Sans asked, and Frisk shook their head.

"I'm fine. It's just… all of this has me a little spooked, you know? I… I'd hoped we were done with Chara twelve years ago…" Sans wouldn't buy it, Frisk know, but hopefully the others would.

"We'll f-figure this out." Alphys tried to sound confident. "We did it once. We c-can do it again. W-we're all older and stronger now."

"I hope so, Al," Frisk nodded.

"We'll start in the CORE," Gaster spoke up with a nod of his own. "We'll learn where Chara's influence is, and then we'll work backwards from there. If we can get at least Asgore on board, we'll have plenty of power behind us as well as a safeguard against those who might be afraid of us magic-users. And I'll make sure we have every possible precaution in place. Down to damned body armor if needed."

"Speaking of which… Undyne. I gotta put in my resignation," Sans added. "Dad needs me at the CORE."

"Good. You're fired," Undyne nodded. "Go figure out how to save us. Again."

"Again? That was Frisk last time."

"You were instrumental," Maurette reminded him. "Frisk was in the lead, but I don't think any of us could've succeeded if any of the others were missing. And it was the two of you that put Chara down when they broke out again."

"Eh… you softened them up for us," Sans shrugged, glancing to Frisk again as they remained silent and pensive. He sat forward, looking over them all. "Dad and I will take a look at everything again, Aria too when she can come back. Then we'll try to form a plan of action. Keep your phones close and don't be afraid to call for help if something doesn't seem right. We don't know who Chara might go after, or whether they know who's involved. Just be careful, and don't do anything stupid."


	23. Dedication Pt14

"Hey, babe, uh... I gotta talk to you..."

"I know."

"I... fuck, I'm sorry... it's taken me all day to get up the courage..."

"Breathe, Sans. And put the bottle down. You've been drinking since noon."

...

 **February 9th, 213X**

...

The room was tilting. Not violently, but just that little, barely-noticeable bit that made Sans feel dizzy and mildly ill. His skin felt too hot even after he'd thrown off his sweater and hoodie. Now in a black tanktop and jeans, shoes discarded by the door, he was sitting at the table, head on his arms as he stared at three beer bottles, two empty and one nearly so. They were only a small remnant of his day, drinking like it was his job for hours. Now nearly eight o' clock, he felt awful. The comfortably numb and buzzed state he was looking for had never surfaced, instead letting him fall deeper down a hole of uncertainty and hopelessness from the previous day.

After meeting with their friends and family, Sans and Frisk had retreated to Sans' home in Snowdin along with Papyrus and Mettaton, deciding to stick together as a group for a while. While the two men hadn't said it, Frisk and Sans knew Papyrus and Mettaton wanted to make sure they were okay. After all, they were most likely to be targets of Chara's interference. But at least for the day after all the bad news and the car accident, Papyrus and Mettaton had left the other couple alone aside from a check-in before they each went out. Mettaton had warned Frisk gently to make sure Sans didn't drink too much, but hadn't interfered. And while Frisk had kept an eye on Sans, they hadn't stepped in til now.

And now, they were sitting across the table. Sans couldn't make himself look up yet. He hadn't looked Frisk in the eye for longer than a few seconds since his visit to Chara. Still, Frisk waited quietly, patiently, for their partner to gather his thoughts and speak.

"Uh..." Sans began, and immediately realized he had no idea what he was going to say. "I... um..." He lifted his head off his arms, staring down at them rather than looking at Frisk. "When I... y'know, went with Tori... I wasn't ready..."

"I don't think anyone could've been," Frisk murmured, watching Sans struggle internally. Frisk already had a few ideas as to what had caused their partner to suddenly retreat, and so they'd given Sans plenty of space that day.

"I mean, I was ready to go in there. I was ready for anything... I thought. I'd gone over all my abilities, what worked best against Chara way back then, what I could use to stop them rather than hurt them, for Tori's sake at least... But I wasn't ready to... see them."

Frisk's brows furrowed. "See them?"

"You guys were like twins when you were little... Shit, I almost mistook you for them a few times when you were nine. And you guys look way different now. You're darker, way taller, athletic... Chara's this shrimpy, skinny little pale thing, their hair's lightened up... but... Fuck, it's stupid, but-"

"Their face," Frisk interrupted softly, their own deep brown eyes reflecting something between guilt and deep concern. "And those eyes."

"I don't know, babe... Like I said, they're thinner. Gaunt, even. Their face isn't quite the same shape, but... just some little details... if I hadn't looked into it myself, I'd swear you two are related. Cousins, siblings even. And... in the wrong light... their eyes can look just like yours..." Sans' head dipped again, his forehead resting on his arm. "It's so stupid, Frisk. I'd never mistake you for them now, but... I remember when you guys were kids... Before I knew you well..."

"You're allowed to be scared of the same thing happening, Sans," Frisk murmured, their eyes drifting to where the top end of the huge slashing scar showed on Sans' collarbone. "They dressed up like me and used our friendship back then to get close, and they nearly killed you. I'm still scared too. They had so much power... they lured me away from Toriel and..." Frisk sighed. "If she hadn't found me, I'd have bled to death at best..."

Sans finally looked up as Frisk's head bowed. He knew the story well. He remembered it every time he saw Frisk shirtless. A then-tiny, nine-year old Frisk had wandered off in the middle of the night into the forest at the foot of Mt. Ebott near Toriel's home. Frisk had claimed it was a red firefly that they followed, a curious sight even if it hadn't been deep winter. They'd been mesmerized, scrambling over a frozen creek and through briar thickets and getting scratched up and exhausted til they reached a clearing and saw a single, small figure awaiting them.

The way Frisk had told it afterward, in shock and unwilling to let Toriel leave them for a moment, they saw the red firefly vanish into the figure's back. Then, the figure turned to reveal bright red eyes, a wicked smile, and a destroyed straitjacket hanging in tatters around them over their green striped sweater. And in their hand was a red, bloody kitchen knife. It had been only a month since Chara had been committed to an asylum for attempting ritual suicide and trying to take Asriel with them. Now, their clothes spattered with blood from dead orderlies and doctors, they stared death and glee at Frisk in the snowy night.

Frisk had tried to flee, but the thickets had caught them up while Chara seemed to glide through, their unstable power causing branches to wilt into dust before the thorns ever touched them. Frisk had gotten tangled when Chara caught up, and Frisk struggled to turn and run once more, only to feel a sudden, deep pain lance through their spine. Frisk collapsed in the thorny mass of plants, bleeding profusely as Chara drew the knife back and left them to die. It was an hour before fiery magic burned around Frisk and freed them from the thicket, and they were carried away to the hospital in Toriel's arms. Somehow, Frisk escaped without permanent injury, the knife having missed everything vital, only striking alongside vertebrae and missing the actual spinal cord by centimeters. The worst complication had been a tiny bone chip and a cold, and of course the horizontal scar across the center of Frisk's back, but Frisk hadn't had time to recover before Chara's rampage continued toward the CORE. In the final fight, Sans and Frisk both came away with vicious slashes across their chests, nearly dying of bloodloss in the CORE even while they held Chara off and prevented them from attacking the CORE itself. Sans' own wound had come from approaching Chara, thinking they were Frisk. A good number of their friends had thought Frisk and Chara were working together, thanks to Chara's trickery. Sans had come to the CORE looking for a fleeing Frisk to bring them home.

...

 _"Hey, kiddo... listen, buddy, Toriel's real worried. Let's go home, okay? I know you didn't do this. Any of this." Sans slowly approached the small figure in their signature blue and pink sweater._

 _"I hurt people." The voice came out watery and shaky, and Sans' heart clenched with sympathy for their position. So many people thought they were in league with the real monster, just because Frisk refused to fight or hurt Chara._

 _"No, you didn't. You've been trying to save everyone, even Chara. C'mon, pal..." Sans opened his arms as the child turned, glancing from the shadow of their ruffled bangs at his open posture. "Bring it in..." Sans offered a sad smile, but it calmed as the nine-year old stepped forward and buried their face in his chest. "That's it, bud... We can sort this all out. We just gotta stick together, right? I'll see you through-" Sans stopped short as a sharp, cold pain ran through his side, under his ribs. He couldn't pull back before the cold blade slashed upward diagonal, finally leaving his skin when it bounced off his collarbone. Sans collapsed backward, his shirt ripped open just like his torso as blood coated his entire front. "F-Frisk..." It was all he could whisper as the iamge before him shifted. The sweater turned green, splattered with crimson, and a knife had appeared in the child's hand. The most striking change, however, was those eyes. Those red, murderous eyes that had only a moment ago been gentle brown, brimming with tears._

...

Sans only realized he was spacing out when Frisk's hand reached out to touch his cheek. For a moment, he met those familiar brown eyes, deep with the capacity to love, forgive, and sympathize. It was comforting to see them, instead of the demonic red. So Sans held their gaze for a long time, barely blinking even as Frisk rose and came around the table to kiss him. Finally Sans' eyes drifted closed and he leaned back to simply accept Frisk's attention. When they drew back a few inches, Sans heard their soft voice. "I love you."

"I love you too, Frisk." Sans looked up again finally, and was secretly relieved to see Frisk was still Frisk. No tricks of magic or his mind, no red eyes, no green sweater, and no knife. Just Frisk Shale, his partner in crime as a child and his partner in life as an adult. "I love you," Sans repeated more softly, rising from his seat while his hands took hold of Frisk's waist and he pressed close. His forehead touching to Frisk's collarbone, Sans pressed a kiss to their chest where the skin was exposed by a loose tanktop. Sans realized, with a small smile, it was one of his own shirts. Frisk liked to wear them around when they had nowhere to go.

Frisk's arms draped around their lover's shoulders easily, and they leaned into his embrace with a long, tired sigh. "What will I do with you, Sans?"

"This is pretty nice..."

"Having a drunk masochist for a boyfriend isn't easy, you know."

"Heh... and it isn't easy for a guy like me to keep up with a well-balanced, responsible person like you. You're just as much trouble to me."

"And you like it that way. As I said- masochist." As Sans looked up, Frisk met him with another kiss and reached down to catch his belt in their fingers, giving him a little tug to get him moving toward the stairs. "And as I remember it, being drunk has never stopped you from being a good stress-reliever. So march." Frisk gave him a nudge and Sans grinned like a fool, strolling lazily along despite Frisk's urging. It wasn't til Frisk pulled his belt loose and pulled off his shirt that Sans finally scampered upstairs toward his room with Frisk on his heels. They needed this, he thought to himself as he heard Frisk shut the door and throw off their own shirt. It was how they worked through stress most times, how they took the edge off their few arguments and fights, and how they solidified their confidence that no matter what, they'd always face everything hand-in-hand.

...

"They must be asleep, I guess."

Mettaton arched a perfect eyebrow at Papyrus as they set down a few bags of groceries in the kitchen. "Sans, asleep before three in the morning? I doubt it. It's only ten o'clock." Each shed their jackets, scarves, and boots before putting their purchases away. "I've known that man to go to bed as late as noon the next day."

"Weirdly enough, he actually evens out a lot around Frisk," Papyrus mused, turning to look through the mail he'd brought in along the way. "He tends to follow their example. I think it's because he likes the idea of not sleeping alone anymore, so he goes to bed when Frisk does. That, and he doesn't like to sleep through time he could be spending with Frisk when they're both free."

"I might be jealous if you weren't the same way. Both of you boys are soft, romantic dopes," Mettaton teased, his black-painted lips curling into a smile as Papyrus blushed lightly.

"We take care of our own," Papyrus explained quietly. "Always have."

"I know, baby. Out of necessity as much as love. While I've never been pleased with the circumstances as to why, I'm kind of glad you two turned out to be such loving men. Even if Sans is a lazy asshole half the time, he's a good guy. And you're a dreamboat." As Papyrus' blush deepened, Mettaton laughed softly and stepped forward to wrap his arms about the taller man's neck. "Papyrus Skjallar, the most handsome man in Delta, if not the whole world. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve a gentleman like you. And not just because you're pretty."

Papyrus couldn't help a goofy, bashful grin as Mettaton kissed his cheek. "Well... I always believed as a kid that my friends all deserved the best in life. And if you think I'm the best for you... well, I'm honored. You're a really great guy, you ought to get the person you want, even if I can't believe it's me half the time."

"You are far too sweet for your own good, Papy. It's funny, you know..." Mettaton's gaze fell to his chest. "I've heard other men say similar things... but none of them ever meant it. They just said it to get me into bed, or to cling onto a relationship that wouldn't work."

"But I do mean it," Papyrus insisted worriedly, quickly reassured with a kiss that made him relax and close his eyes. He felt Mettaton's forehead press to his own, and both men stood like that for a few seconds of silence, eyes closed and minds suddenly quieted.

"I know you do, baby," Mettaton murmured, a smile returning to his lips. "You always mean it. You've never lied to me, you can barely stand to hide surprises from me. That's what makes you so different..." He lifted his head and they met one another's eyes again. "... Can I tell you something?"

"Anything," Papyrus nodded, though he was worried at Mettaton's soft, forlorn tone all of a sudden.

"You know Sans and I were together for a long time."

"Yeah."

"And you've never been bothered by that?"

"Uh... should I be? You two were what the other needed at the time, you said it yourself after we started dating."

"Well... I have a little confession to make... about us, him and us."

"Okay." Mettaton looked up once more at Papyrus' innocent and gentle expression, and offered a guilty smile.

"I still love your brother to death." When Papyrus smiled, Mettaton felt a little confused.

"I know," Papyrus chirped. "It's hard to get over a relationship like that. You guys loved each other so much, but you let go because you knew you didn't fit well. Sans talked to me about it once... he wasn't in a good place, and he didn't want to drag you down. He said he was too unstable, he drank too much, he smoked... And he was depressed, even more then than he is now." Papyrus' tone grew a little sadder. "He and I have the same outlook on the people we care for- you all deserve the absolute best. And Sans knew he wasn't the best for you, even if you two were in love, even if you still are. But I don't think either of you knew back then that it was a good decision to part ways, especially when you ran into some really bad boyfriends. Sans found- well, not found, but you know what I mean- he found Frisk... And... you found me. It turned out okay, right? I'm happy as can be with you, and Sans is... Well, he's not doing well, he's still working through a lot of things. But having Frisk makes him get out of bed and try harder, because Frisk proved to him that he's worth someone's love and time, something none of the rest of us could do, not even me or you. So I guess, in short... I'm glad you still love him. He deserves to be loved, even if it's platonic now. And he still loves you. He's said as much, on several occassions, and he said that he was happy that you finally had someone who'd really take care of you. Which I always will."

Mettaton listened in silence to Papyrus' explanation, finding no tinge of jealousy in anything the younger man said. He was shocked, honestly, but at the same time he remembered this was his Papyrus, the adorable goof whose only grudge was against punching bags, which he promptly apologized to if he felt he got too energetic and damaged them in his kickboxing.

Mettaton smiled once more, though it was a little sad. "The reason I wanted to say it, Papy... was because I used to think Sans was the best I'd ever had, and I gave him up. I thought that for a long time, even a while into dating you. I compared every man to Sans, the way he looked after me, the way he managed to be the best and laziest man I knew at the same time. He took such good care of me, just by being there when I needed him. We didn't talk all that much, honestly. Our relationship was pretty quiet most of the time. It was about being together, eating bad takeout, and singing in the car, but never really talking. The night we decided to split up if I ever found someone else I was interested in... I was shattered. And I don't think I recovered, really. And when I dated Roland... God, I missed Sans every moment."

Papyrus held Mettaton tighter at the mention of Roland, an abusive, controlling ex of his. "Sans came in and rescued me... took me to the hospital... I got up the courage to ask him to get back together, but he told me it wasn't right. He wasn't right for me. I was so mad, so broken up, I went back to Roland. And Sans had to save me again."

"M..." Papyrus muttered. "You don't have to talk about it anymore if it hurts..."

"I want to talk about it. I want you to know why I run to Sans when I'm scared, why I check the locks three times at night, why I flinch when men I don't know get too close. Sans is the only reason I'm not a complete wreck, and why I can still be a performer even when I'm terrified of most men in those clubs and bars. Any one of them could be another Roland. But I'm secure in the knowledge that Sans will be there in a flash to save me if I can't save myself. And now I know you'll be there too. You have been there, even if it didn't turn into a fight. I suppose I'm more in love with the defender Sans is, than the boyfriend he was. I owe him so much... and I'm so happy he found someone so wonderful and understanding. Even as kids, he and Frisk were a great team. Even when they grew apart for a while, either would drop everything to go help the other. Sans is by no means perfect, and Frisk has their own issues, sure... but they're a perfect match. And I'm really starting to think we are too."

Papyrus smiled softly at that, hugging Mettaton tightly once more with a content sigh as the shorter man relaxed in his arms. Mettaton's slim fingers traced down his back, and Papyrus murmured, "Me too, M."


End file.
